Rams Sign Another One--UCLA’s Washington
The gods and the Rams must be crazy. The team that last year couldn’t sign a draft choice to save its season is now shuffling rookies into camp through the express check-in lane.
Tuesday, the Rams signed one fifth-round choice--UCLA safety James Washington--and agreed to terms with another--Mississippi running back Robert Delpino--bringing to 10 the number of draft choices delivered after just two days of training camp.
Only the Gang of Four--Gaston Green, Aaron Cox, Willie Anderson and Mike Piel--remain unsigned.
It’s certainly some sort of Ram record, and seemingly a sign of glasnost in the team’s front office. Either Vice President John Shaw has turned quiche-eater, or a 6-9 season made the Rams a little nervous.
Bet on the latter.
“There’s been a coming together of everybody after the bizarre and tragic circumstances of last year,” Ram Coach John Robinson said.
Remember, the Rams have a lot more work to do this summer. Last season, Donald Evans was the team’s first pick but was only the 47th player taken overall. This year, the Rams had 5 of the first 47 players drafted.
Still, they didn’t sign Evans until August.
Perhaps the Rams are just clearing some sagebrush before bringing in the heavy artillery for big guns Green and Cox, the two first-rounders.
The battle lines have been drawn. Green and his agent, Leigh Steinberg, seem to be waiting for the first move . . . by the Raiders, of all teams. A Green deal seems predicated on how much the Raiders are willing to pay Heisman Trophy winner Tim Brown, the sixth pick overall.
“I’m not suggesting Gaston get more than Tim Brown,” Steinberg said this week. “I’m suggesting something reasonable. They’re only separated by eight picks.”
In other words, Steinberg doesn’t want to lock Green into the Rams’ offer of $1.75 million for 4 years and then have Brown sign the next day for $3 million for the same period. That would leave egg on Steinberg’s well-publicized face.
So the wait begins for somebody to sign somebody.
Green was the 14th pick overall and the first running back taken, two points Steinberg is making in negotiations.
Meanwhile, receiver Cox, the 20th pick, keeps one eye on Green and the other on Brown.
Cox’s agent, Ernie Wright, is also Raider-watching these days.
“I’m in the same boat,” Wright said. “I don’t want them paying their wide receiver 3 or 4 million when my guy’s making $1.3 million. I might as well get out of business.”
The switch with the Rams this year is that the club is offering market-rate contracts to players--that is, paying players according to their order in the draft. In the past, the Rams always ignored the system and dealt on their own terms.
But as partial payment in the trade of Eric Dickerson, Wright said the Rams are going to have to do better than the going rate with the likes of Green and Cox.
“They cannot do without Green and Cox,” Wright said. “They let a franchise player go. There’s a tremendous need to sign these guys. I think they’re going to pay more than market price.”
Perhaps a few classic Ram negotiation battles remain.
Ram Notes
The Rams still have 10 unsigned veteran free agents. They are tight end Greg Baty, wide receiver Kevin House, nose tackle Greg Meisner, defensive ends Shawn Miller and Doug Reed, cornerback Mickey Sutton, running back Tim Tyrrell and linebackers Norwood Vann, Mike Wilcher and Mark Jerue. Veterans are due to report July 21. . . . The Rams have signed free-agent kicker Chris White, who played for his father, Mike White, when he was the coach at Illinois, and linebacker Jay Wilkerson from Fresno State. . . . The team will scrimmage against the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday at 1 p.m. and report to Cal State Fullerton on Sunday. . . . Donald Evans, the defensive end turned fullback, missed Tuesday’s practice with a pulled leg muscle. . . . James Washington, who signed Tuesday morning, practiced in the afternoon. Robert Delpino, who has agreed to terms, is reportedly in transit and is expected to report at any minute.
