Former Green Bay Packers cornerback Sam Shields announced he was coming back after a year away from football, last month. He has now completed that goal after signing with the Los Angeles Rams.
The #Rams have signed CB Sam Shields, formerly of the #Packers. He’s launched a comeback after battling concussions.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 8, 2018
When Shields announced his return, the Rams and Cleveland Browns were the two known suitors. It doesn’t appear the Packers had any interest in giving Shields another shot.
That’s not terribly surprising, given Shields’ long history of concussions. Shields missed all but one game of the 2016 season because of a concussion. The Packers released him after the season ended. In 2015, Shields missed four games with a concussion. Those are just two among what is believed to be six concussions during Shields’ football-playing days.
The Rams have spent the first part of the offseason remaking their cornerback position, where their top corner — Trumaine Johnson — is a free agent. The Rams traded for Marcus Peters from the Kansas City Chiefs. Now they’ve signed Shields, who, based on the Rams’ current roster, would seem to have a real opportunity to start.
When not injured, Shields was a legitimate No. 1 cornerback. He recorded 31 interceptions in his six year (and one game) career with the Packers. He was typically the fastest guy on the team. Unfortunately, he never played in all 16 games in a single season.
Shields has also mentioned that if he gets another concussion, he’ll retire for good. And that’s just a hard hit or bad landing away.
Isn’t he going to be suspended for a few games still?