Why Isaiah Battle to St. Louis means good things for the Tennessee Titans
By Will Lomas
The 2015 NFL Supplemental Draft is over and the big news of the day is that Isaiah Battle (the former Clemson left tackle) has been picked up for a future fifth round by the St. Louis Rams.
Now, at first glance this may just seem like boring news to Tennessee Titans fans, but it is actually a pretty big deal.
Theoretically, this means that they believe he will be starting left tackle or right tackle for them within the next few years. GMs rarely give up picks on players with drug issues as it is, so to give up a future fifth round pick is kind of a big deal.
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If they do believe that he can become that, then they will have plenty of depth on the offensive line in the future. In fact, maybe too much.
With the pick up of Isaiah Battle, the St. Louis Rams will have spent a 2nd, a 3rd, a 4th, a 5th (next year), and a 6th round draft pick on offensive linemen this year. That is a pretty staggering amount of resources at the offensive line position, so maybe it is time to look at what they might be trying to get rid of.
Rodger Saffold
Saffold isn’t a dominant player, but he is average to above average at his position. The issue with him is the nearly $9 million cap hit that he will have this year for this team.
The St. Louis Rams practically drafted his replacement last year with the second overall pick, and now that they have attacked the offensive line need and added rookie talent it may be time to part ways.
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If the Tennessee Titans could capitalize on the St. Louis Rams drafting Isaiah Battle today, by adding Saffold in the future they could add much needed depth to this offensive line.
While some may not view a depth (and a potential quality starter) signing as revolutionary, imagine what it means for this team. Now the Tennessee Titans can breath easy if one of their offensive linemen goes down. Not only will they have a quality depth player at offensive tackle and probably right guard in Jeremiah Poutasi, but they will have a player with left tackle and left guard experience.
Combine that with Fernando Velasco back on the team and the Tennessee Titans aren’t so paper thin behind their starting line. While no one wants to admit it because they are busy blaming coaching and the quarterback/running backs, the demolished offensive line was as much a part of the Tennessee Titans 2-14 record as anything.
With plenty of cap space and nothing to lose, this would be a player that should really interest the Tennessee Titans if he became available. And this could all happen because of the NFL Supplemental Draft pick of Isaiah Battle.