The Rams brought back a pair of free agents at defensive end by re-signing William Hayes and Eugene Sims to go with Robert Quinn, but cutting Chris Long left a spot open in the rotation that the Rams used last year.
With Quinn coming off back surgery, finding another body to take some of the load was on their mind and they found a player to do that on Wednesday. Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that the team has signed former Jets first-round pick Quinton Coples to a two-year contract.
Coples never really found a fit as an outside linebacker in the Jets’ 3-4 scheme before being released during the 2015 season. He was claimed off of waivers by the Dolphins, but didn’t make much of an impression in six appearances and was released after the end of the season.
Coples will be playing in a 4-3 in Los Angeles and he’ll be teamed with some talented linemen, including defensive tackle Aaron Donald. That was enough for the Rams to decide to see if things will fall into place for him during his fifth NFL season.