Sep 1st 2008 11:27AM by Matt Snyder (author feed)
Filed under: Rams, NFC West We knew Ricky Manning Jr. wouldn’t be out of work for long when the Bears granted him his release last week. Ever since he picked three passes in the NFC Championship game his rookie year, his name has carried much more weight than his game (except maybe in a Denny’s). That being said, the Rams did need to add some depth in the secondary, and Manning will provide it. He has agreed to a one year deal to play in St. Louis.

What this means to the Rams defense is now they have another capable playmaker in the secondary alongside Tye Hill — who they are hoping will blossom in his third season. While Manning doesn’t offer much in the way of run support and he’s not a great cover-corner, he does have 14 picks in 79 career regular season NFL games — two of which he took back for scores.

The move was really a no-brainer for the Rams, and I’d have to upgrade the secondary’s heat index grade one point to a five.