The Los Angeles Rams are once again facing a decision with Dominique Easley this offseason. They signed him to a one-year deal in 2018, keeping him around for another season after he missed all of 2017 due to injury.

Easley made it through camp unscathed, but he suffered another season-ending knee injury in Week 3. Now, he enters free agency again with major injury concerns, even after trying to transition to outside linebacker.

2018 stats: 3 games, 4 tackles, 0 sacks, 0 QB hits
Pro Football Focus grade: 68.3 (unranked)

Analysis

The Rams tried something new with Easley last season, moving him from defensive tackle to outside linebacker. With all the wear and tear he suffered on his oft-injured knee, the Rams thought maybe he’d hold up better on the outside where he’d have more room to operate.

Unfortunately, it didn’t work. Easley was ineffective in the three games he did play and failed to get to the quarterback a single time in the 60 snaps he played. It’s hard to be disappointed in his numbers considering how little he played, but it’s also difficult to feel confident he can play outside linebacker full-time.

With Easley, there are always going to be questions about durability. In the last two years combined, he’s played a total of three games and 60 total snaps. Since 2016, he’s played only 531 total defensive snaps, which would’ve been about half the Rams’ total this season alone.

Put simply, he hasn’t been on the field much the last three years and even when he has played, it’s not as if he’s been dominant. There are concerns about his knees and position in the NFL with no certainty that he can succeed at outside linebacker, which is the Rams’ biggest need.

Positional need: High

There’s no denying the Rams need help at outside linebacker. Dante Fowler Jr. is a free agent and Samson Ebukam is inconsistent on the edge. But again, Easley doesn’t necessarily offer much assurance at that position. He’s a risky player because of his injury history and his lack of a fit at outside linebacker.

If the Rams want to put him back at defensive end in the 3-4 defense, it might not be a bad idea. But he typically plays the position that Aaron Donald does, which creates some problems as far as where he could contribute for L.A.

Prediction: Signs one-year, $700,000 contract elsewhere

It’s not as if the Rams have a tiny sliver of cap space, and Easley wouldn’t break the bank, but bringing him back for another year would present some challenges. If he’s even healthy enough to play and participate in camp, you run the risk of giving him snaps over another player, only to see him suffer another injury early in the season.

The Rams have young edge rushers like Trevon Young, Ogbonnia Okoronkwo and Justin Lawler who could contribute in 2019 and they need all the reps they can get. Re-signing Easley would undoubtedly take reps away from those younger players, which wouldn’t be the best-case scenario.

He’ll most likely sign a contract close to the veteran minimum somewhere else as a team will try to give him one last shot to stay healthy after essentially missing the last two seasons. It’s just hard to see that being in L.A. where there isn’t an ideal fit.