Somehow, some way, the Los Angeles Rams just made their defensive line even scarier.
Los Angeles announced on Monday evening that they had come to terms with former Pro Bowl defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh on a one-year, $14 million contract. The addition of Suh marks yet another great off-season transaction for the Rams, who have also acquired cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib already this off-season.
Adding in Suh also means that Suh will be joining forces with star defensive tackle Aaron Donald, who is the NFL’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year after having 41 total tackles, 11.0 sacks, 7 stuffs, and 5 forced fumbles in 14 regular season games in 2017.
Reports indicate that Suh took less money from the Rams then what other potential suitors were offering, and that is said to because Suh will likely getting less double teams thrown his way by sharing the defensive line with such a dynamic play maker like Donald. In the end, Suh was said to be considering the New Orleans Saints and Tennessee Titans after meeting with both teams last week. The New York Jets never met with Suh in-person, but they emerged as a serious suitor for his services before they withdrew their offer on Sunday. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports that the Jets’ offer to Suh was a one-year deal worth more than what Suh received from the Rams.
Suh was also expected to have a meeting with the Oakland Raiders last week as well, but subsequently decided not to meet with them after already holding three separate meetings.
“We are excited to have Ndamukong as a part of the Los Angeles Rams,” Rams general manager Les Snead said in a statement. “He’s been an outstanding player in this league and we are looking forward to him being a part of our defense.”
The Miami Dolphins released Suh at the start of the NFL’s league new year almost two weeks away with the post-June 1st cut designation applied to the veteran defensive tackle. That means Miami received no cap relief for parting ways with Suh at the initial cut date. They will however gain $17 million in cap space once June 1st does hit.
Suh began his career with the Detroit Lions, where he rose to stardom and signing with the Dolphins on a six-year, $114 million contract in March 2015 that included $60 million in guarantees, the largest contract for a defensive player in NFL history.
While it didn’t workout for Suh in Miami after his Pro Bowl season his first year there in 2015, the Rams are hoping that he can regain his old form under defensive coordinator Wade Phillips in a star-studded defense.
The 31-year-old Suh had 47 tackles, 8 stuffs, 4.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 2 pass deflections in all 16 regular season games for the Dolphins in 2017. For his career, Suh has 419 tackles, 63 stuffs, 51.5 sacks, 28 pass deflections, and 4 forced fumbles.
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