The Los Angeles Rams just about remade their secondary last offseason by adding Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib to go along with Nickell Robey-Coleman, John Johnson III and Lamarcus Joyner. In addition to acquiring those two big-name players, they also signed Sam Shields.
Shields missed all of 2017 due to concussions and only played Week 1 in 2016, so he was out of football for almost two full seasons. The Rams took a chance on the veteran and while he had his struggles, he did provide valuable depth at corner and on special teams.
Now, he’ll be a free agent again and has every intention of playing another season in the NFL after staying healthy for all 16 games in 2018.
2018 stats: 22 tackles, 1 INT, 4 PBU, 1 TFL
Pro Football Focus grade: 60.6 (No. 91 CB)
Analysis
Shields was mostly a role player in 2018, contributing on special teams throughout the season and on defense occasionally. He made two starts when Aqib Talib went down with an injury, struggling to cover to cover the likes of Stefon Diggs in the Rams’ win over the Vikings. He also started against the Chiefs, playing 72 snaps in that game.
As a whole, Shields’ playing time was fairly limited, but he did play 233 snaps on special teams and even caught a couple of passes from Johnny Hekker on fake punts. His numbers aren’t all that impressive and he struggled in coverage, but Shields was a valuable, low-risk addition to the roster.
It was his first time back on the field since Week 1 of the 2016 season, so he was essentially two full years removed from football. That’s not an easy comeback for any player to make, especially when it was several concussions that kept Shields away from the game for so long.
Positional need: Medium
At the top of the depth chart, the Rams are in good shape. They have Marcus Peters, Aqib Talib and Nickell Robey-Coleman all under contract at very reasonable prices. Barring a trade or money-saving decision, all three should be starting once again in 2019. However, beyond them, there are major questions.
Troy Hill is also a free agent, as are Dominique Hatfield and Kevin Peterson. It’s expected that the Rams will use at least a late-round pick on a cornerback, but bringing back Hill and possibly Shields should be on the to-do list.
Injuries happen every year and while the Rams do a great job to avoid them for the most part, you can never be too sure. They need depth in the secondary, and badly.
Prediction: Signs one-year, $1.2 million contract with Rams
The Rams took a flyer on Shields last offseason by signing him to a one-year deal worth $1 million. It was a low-risk move for Los Angeles, but the front office might be willing to give him a slight pay raise in 2019.
He struggled last season and didn’t play significant snaps, so he probably won’t double his salary, but the Rams could still bring him back on another fairly low-risk contract to keep him in L.A.