The Los Angeles Rams and coach Jeff Fisher have a certain affinity for former first-round defensive linemen. That love led them to their latest addition Tuesday when they agreed to terms on a one-year deal with former New England Patriots defensive tackle Dominique Easley.

With Easley's addition, the Rams have five former first-round picks on their defensive line for the second consecutive year. After losing defensive end Chris Long and tackle Nick Fairley to the Patriots and New Orleans Saints, respectively, during this offseason, the Rams added end Quinton Coples and now Easley to get that number back to five.

Easley was a first-round pick by New England in 2014 after a knee injury wiped out his final season at Florida. In two seasons with the Patriots, Easley had 25 tackles, three sacks and an interception in limited action.

Many were surprised when the Patriots released Easley, though his health issues were an ongoing concern. Now, Easley will bring a familiar combination of off-field issues and talent to the interior of the Rams' defensive line.

It's an easy comparison to the Fairley signing last year. At the time, the Rams were looking for low-cost, high-upside depth behind starters Aaron Donald and Michael Brockers. They brought in Fairley, who had battled his share of injuries and red flags, but who also had plenty of talent.

Fairley played well in a limited role as the team's primary backup interior pass-rusher. Although he didn't have the normal statistics to prove it, Pro Football Focus graded him as a top-five defensive tackle in the league on a production-per-snap basis despite playing just 427 snaps.

If Easley can stay healthy and come prepared, he could offer similar production. In fact, PFF graded Easley as the second-most productive pass-rusher on a per-snap basis among all defensive linemen last year. Like Fairley, that also came on a small sample size, but also like Fairley, he figures to be a rotational piece for the Rams if he secures his spot on the roster.

So, how does Easley ensure that happens? I asked Patriots reporter Mike Reiss to offer some insight on what type of player Easley is, what went wrong in New England and how he might fit with the Rams.

Here's what Reiss had to say:

"Easley's first two years in New England concluded with him on injured reserve by mid-December, so health is the first thing on the list of reasons why it didn't work out for him with the Patriots. The backstory is that he had entered the NFL in 2014 with significant medical questions, having torn both of his ACLs over a three-year span in college, so it was a continuation of those issues in the NFL.

"Then behind the scenes, Easley butted heads with some on the coaching staff at times, and there wasn't always agreement between management and Easley as to the best course of rehabilitation. It is extremely rare for any team to part ways with a first-round pick after just two seasons, but that provides some context as to why the Patriots moved on so quickly and absorbed more of a cap hit by releasing him than they would have if they kept him.

"The other part about Easley's time in New England that is a bit different is his body type relative to what the Patriots have traditionally looked for in their defensive linemen -- he's undersized for their scheme, but with such a focus on sub defenses these days, the Patriots figured he'd be on the field at almost starter-like playing-time levels when they picked him in the first round. It just never panned out that way. The Patriots have since gone back to focusing on bigger-bodied defensive tackles, but it's easy to see his fit in Los Angeles' scheme as a backup to Aaron Donald."