THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, April 6, 1996 TAG: 9604060424
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JIM DUCIBELLA, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 55 lines
The Washington Redskins and St. Louis Rams have all but agreed to a trade that would send former Pro Bowl defensive lineman Sean Gilbert to Washington for the Redskins' first-round pick - the sixth overall - in April's college draft.
Officials from neither club would confirm Friday that the trade was official. But a Rams' administrator, who asked not to be named, called the transaction ``99 percent done.''
Gilbert, who will turn 26 on Wednesday, is 6-foot-4, 315 pounds from the University of Pittsburgh. He was the third player selected in the 1992 draft and has been a mainstay of the Rams' defensive line ever since.
Although most noted as a run-stopper, an area in which the Redskins have ranked near the bottom of the league during Norv Turner's two seasons as coach, Gilbert has 24 career sacks. He was voted to the 1993 NFC Pro Bowl squad after recording 10 1/2 sacks that season.
His career has been hampered the last couple of seasons by shoulder and knee problems, though he has missed just four starts during his career. In addition, last season the Rams shifted him from tackle to end after they drafted tackle DeMarco Farr. The change hurt, as did arthroscopic knee surgery performed midway through the season.
The Redskins have long said that if they were able to acquire Gilbert, they would install him at tackle, teaming him with Marc Boutte, another ex-Ram. Sterling Palmer and Rich Owens enter training camp as the projected starters at defensive end, with free-agent Tony Woods possibly being signed as a backup.
Gilbert's 1996 salary and the pro-rated portion of the original five-year, $7.5 million contract he signed with the Rams come to $1.89 million. However, only $1.25 million will count against the Redskins' cap. The Rams are still responsible for his signing bonus.
Although Gilbert's contract expires after this season, the Redskins can maintain rights to him by designating him their ``franchise'' player. They would have to pay him the average salary of the five highest paid defensive tackles in the league. In 1995, that figure would have come to $2.42 million a year.
The original deal between St. Louis and Washington featured a swap of No. 1 picks, plus quarterback Gus Frerotte joining the Rams. That fell through when the Rams were unwilling to part with their first-round pick, the 13th in the round. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Sean Gilbert is 6-foot-4, 315 pounds and has been a mainstay of the
Rams' defensive line.
by CNB