Los Angeles Rams: Buyer Beware For Dominique Easley

Dominique Easley recently joined Aaron Donald as a member of the Los Angeles Rams defensive line. He can bring excitement to the Rams line, but is he ready to be productive?

The Los Angeles Rams are known for having one of the top explosive, young defenses in the NFL. Aaron Donald, Robert Quinn and Alec Ogletree highlight a defense that is young, fast and aggressive. The Rams doubled-down on that style this week with the signing of former New England Patriots first-round pick Dominique Easley.

Easley, 24, will be entering his third NFL season out of Florida and will be looking to find his stride after being cut by the Patriots after just two seasons. Easley joins a defensive tackle group that includes Aaron Donald, a player many think Easley could be similar to if he reaches his ceiling.

A signing with that much upside should excite the Los Angeles fan base and invigorate the defensive line depth for Gregg Williams. So why is there not more buzz surrounding the Easley to L.A. signing?

The conversation on Easley begins with his injury history. Easley’s chronic knee problems were the main reason he fell in the NFL Draft, and one of the main reasons he has never scratched the surface of his potential in the NFL.

Easley has played in 22 career games, all with the Patriots. During that time he has managed just three starts and 25 combined tackles.

Although he is known as an interior pass rusher, Easley has just three career sacks. Easley has also collected one career interception.

Easley has ended both of his NFL seasons on injured reserve with knee injuries, and has not shown the explosion off the snap he was lauded for during his college career.

There has been more problems than just injuries, however. Last month, according to a report from Ben Volin of the Boston Globe (courtesy of two independent league sources), Easley was called “a 25-year-old in a 40-year-old’s body.” He was also called a “locker room cancer” by a former teammate. He has been deemed immature in the article, and it was also reported that he did not follow medical advice in his rehab.

If Easley can reach his potential, he could help the Los Angeles defense take a step to the next level. After losing Nick Fairley in the offseason, the Rams were in need of a rotational player. Easley does not bring the same size, but brings an explosive first step and disruptive presence. His quickness off the snap combined with Aaron Donald would create huge mismatches along the interior line in both run and pass plays.

The change of scenery and presence of a peer with a similar skill set could be just what Easley needs to turn his career around. He does bring a speedy, explosive presence to a defense with the same qualities, but the expectations for Easley bringing quality depth and consistent play making should be tempered until he proves that he is ready for his career to take off.

Los Angeles Rams fans can get excited at the potential, but there is a buyer beware that needs to be attached to Easley as he enters L.A.

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