Free-agent safety Donte Whitner has yet to find a new home after the Cleveland Browns released him on April 2, however, it appears he is close to signing with the Los Angeles Rams.
Continue for updates.
Whitner Remains an Option for Rams
Saturday, May 14
Vincent Bosignore of the Los Angeles Daily News reported Whitner is still an option for the Rams.
Whitner used emojis to offer a glimpse of his intention to sign with the Rams on May 3, in a series of tweets in response to a fan:
DonteHitner39 @DonteWhitner@stevensutton0 👍🏿
DonteHitner39 @DonteWhitner@stevensutton0 🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿 soon
The Rams were "hoping for [a] deal" with Whitner, but the price tag remains too high, reported ESPN.com's Nick Wagoner on April 28.
Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio was the first to report news of Whitner's visit with the Rams back on April 10. Whitner tweeted a photo of a boarding pass for a flight to Los Angeles International Airport, which seemingly corroborates the report:
DonteHitner39 @DonteWhitner
Whitner Remains Valuable Commodity at Safety
The timing of his release did the three-time Pro Bowler few favors. Most of the teams needing to add a safety had already done so or were in the process of finalizing any deals they had on the table. Whitner complained about as much on Twitter:
DonteHitner39 @DonteWhitnerI just wish they had common courtesy and would've done it weeks ago when free agency was going on... #25thHour... But I'll bounce back!
Browns head coach Hue Jackson called the timing of his release "unfortunate," per NFL.com's Dan Hanzus:
I know it's unfortunate it happened that way. But I think we all recognize and know that those things do happen. We made the decision when it was time for us to make the decision. Obviously that decision wasn't made before, because if it was, we would have made that decision earlier. So I get it and I know the feeling in that situation. But trust me, we went through this 1,000 times to get to that conclusion, so it wasn't like it was just a knee-jerk reaction.
While his string of Pro Bowl appearances ended in 2015, Whitner registered 81 combined tackles and 1.5 sacks. Pro Football Focus also gave him a 79.5 overall grade, 24th-highest among all safeties.
In the event the Rams pass on Whitner, he should manage to be on an NFL roster by the time training camp rolls around. They could certainly use him in the secondary, though. Maurice Alexander and Christian Bryant are currently Los Angeles' two best options at strong safety, and neither inspires a ton of confidence for the season ahead.
Adding Whitner would give head coach Jeff Fisher a proven veteran at the position and put the team on stronger footing as it prepares for its first season in the City of Angels.
