Turf Show Times

Baltimore Ravens Director of Player Personnel Eric DeCosta has been one of the hotter names for teams looking to replace their General Managers. The St. Louis Rams were one of several teams that requested permission to interview DeCosta, but they won't get that opportunity. The Ravens announced today that DeCosta will stay with the team, declining all interviews.

Why teams would want DeCosta is no mystery. He's been part of a Ravens organization that has thrived on good drafts. One of his more notable accomplishments was pushing for Terrell Suggs, a player other teams had written off because of his timed speed. Little wonder that he'd be high on the list for teams, since the GMs getting fired have all been burned in large part by their poor drafting.

Incumbent Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome has been pretty clear all along that DeCosta is his successor. On Wednesday, we said that Baltimore was likely to keep him for that very reason, and today Albert Breer reports that DeCosta has a contract that would make him the next GM in Baltimore.

The Rams currently have six candidates that they are known to be interested in for the GM job: Joey Clinkscales, Jets; Brian Gaine, Miami; Ryan Grigson, Philly; Steve Kein, Arizona; Les Snead, Atlanta; and Tom Telesco, Indianapolis. More on those candidates here and here.