Rams cut WR Keenan Burton to free up roster spot for WR Mark Clayton
by Ryan Van Bibber on Sep 7, 2010 12:38 PM CDT
in 2010 St. Louis Rams season
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When the St. Louis Rams swung a deal with the Ravens for WR Mark Clayton, they had to make a corresponding move to keep their roster at 53 players, per league rules.
It was widely believed that one of the rookies on the team would get bumped to the practice squad, specifically WR Dominique Curry. Instead, the Rams cut WR Keenan Burton, a fourth round pick in the 2008 draft.
Burton's greatest strength was also his greatest weakness. A propensity to catch balls in thick, rough traffic in the middle of the field infused Burton with the potential to be a nice possession receiver; however, that same ability also helped make for frequent appearances on the injury list. He was shut down with a knee injury last year before the season ended. A dedicated guy, Burton came into training camp this year with a single-minded purpose of making himself an indispensable part of the offense. Though he looked sharp in practices, injuries limited his total workload. Needing a big outing in the final game of the preseason, Burton caught just one pass.
Burton did contribute on special teams, but that was an area where Curry really stood out in the preseason. By adding Mark Clayton the Rams gave themselves another capable set of hands on the offense, and they have similar, better options in Brandon Gibson and Mardy Gilyard. In the end, I'm sure the decision between Curry and Burton came down to special teams contributions.
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Rams WR's
Maybe the Rams should stop drafting WR’s. They seem to do much bettter finding talent at WR from other teams.
by Ramfan from Seattle on Sep 7, 2010 12:42 PM CDT reply actions
i liked burton but hes no big loss
he is injury prone like all of our receivers but hes without the high potential
Seattle will probably sign him.
Another draft pick gone.
2008 6 of 8 still on team.
2009 4 of 7 still on team
2010 9 of 11 on team, 1 on PS
Disappointing
I don’t know why they didn’t cut Curry instead or relegate him to the practice squad. Another move that upsets me is why would you not put Alexander on the PUP list? By placing him on the PS, teams can swoop in on him. On the PUP, he gets time to heal and learn the playbook.
hmm
A team isnt going to pick up Danario because of his leg…he aint 100% he may not even be 50% he can still practice on the practice squad an do other things to get himself 100%..on the PUP list he cant practice till week 3 then will have to be moved to the active roster by week 6……Billy and Spags have taken Gambles in the past and they have all seemed to work out in the end in our favor..Curry is a good blocking WR who all he really has to do is work on the consistency of catching passes and he will be okay….What has burton done? dont get me wrong Burton is a good route runner an good hands but cant stay healthy for having such a wide big body 4 a WR
Practice Squad
Not filling the hole in the practice squad tells me they have another move in store. Possibly a back-up RB and moving Toston down.
Just a thought.
+1 I thought the exact same thing.
Another move is coming.. i bet a big one.
"The greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall." - Vince Lombardi
Two things jump out for me:
1) Curry is a beast on special teams. He has more upside and is younger.
2) Simple: DURABILITY – that is where Burton consistently failed the Rams.
I really like how BD and Spags are dumping good, decent players that are ALWAYS hurt. If you cannot stay healthy and produce then you are wasting a roster spot. Guys like Setterstom, Allen, Robinson (?), Bell are the next in line for the players to keep an eye on, in fact, Allen is already gone. Remember Carriker?
GO RAMS !!!
I remember...
them saying that’s a large part of the reason they brought in Robbins and Fraley…cause they don’t get injured. Good call.
by Pekka for Predator Pontiff on Sep 7, 2010 2:25 PM CDT up reply actions
he would have been burried on the depth chart
also he isnt a big factor on special teams. we need a contributing 53 and with one practice squad spot remaining means the rams arent done.
if he cant contribute
he cant stay on the roster. Burton had a starting oppurtunity last year and caused alot of problems by not knowing the offense. This year, he just hasnt gotten open while everyone else had. Curry shows much more promise and play Special teams. RIP dude.
If you love something, set it free. If it doesn't come back, find it and kill it.
A "little" puzzling however
so wasn’t the Pisa move… and look how that panned out! I liked Burton a lot in all honesty, but in the end his durability is what hurt him. And don’t forget, he had swelling in his knee last week after practice.. I’ll always like Burton, hope he goes somewhere else and does well.. but not in the nfc west lol
"The greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall." - Vince Lombardi
same. everyone should let burton know on twitter we wish him well, I really liked him, wasn't his fault he couldn't stay healthy :(
Bradford to Onobun!
I did an hour ago.. I agree
"The greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall." - Vince Lombardi
I dont think we should have cut him Burton was good why are we holding on to OL Young
Do we really need another Barron
Young is on IR
so he doesn’t affect the current roster
I should be working right now...
WR's
Another waste of a draft pick. I had high hopes for Burton and though he could be a nice endzone target. I’m am really worried about our WR’s this season and don’t think Mark Clayton is the answer. I hope we try and get a big name WR for Bradford. The franchise QB needs someone besides sjax to throw to.
Running game
Don’t forget half the plays will be running plays. Curry is a great down field blocker and you may see him on obvious running plays if the Rams dress him. Burton had limited ability as a blocker. Teams with great blocking wide receivers have a much better chance of getting long runs. Not sure about Clayton but with his size it might not be his best asset.
Exactly
I really liked Burton as a character guy and a hard-worker. But, unfortunately in this business, teams can only wait so long before a player is ready to contribute. I think Curry showed that during preseason he is ready to immediately contribute as a special teams player and run-block specialist. I would like to see his hands more, though, before I considered him a 3 or 4 WR. In terms of Clayton, check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UEZLNlyRSk
speaking of blocking down field
Don’t forget that there’s probably a good reason the Rams kept 4 TE’s who are good at pass catching. Curry will probably be doing a lot of down field blocking for running plays, screen plays, and short passes to our tight ends.
+1
I really wish him the best but he was my pick for the one to leave. Just seemed to be the one with the least to offer out of the six we had
real question is if he can stay healthier
"The greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall." - Vince Lombardi
Rams made the best move
The Rams made the best move for the team as a whole. The acquisition of Clayton really changes the Rams Receiving core because by most accounts he will probably be a starter. If thats the case I think Gibson and Robinson would be the other outside receivers with Amendola and Gilyard working the slots, Onobun could potentially be used in this form as well. Burton is more of an outside receiver and so is Curry and even if he knows the system better Curry does the things receivers don’t get noticed for.
In terms of Burton being a wasted draft pick I disagree. For me Avery was a worse pick. Burton was always going to be that tough middle of the field guy and injuries cannot be predicted. His character however can and when did Burton ever show any signs of being bigger than the team. In the end it came down to numbers and Burton unfortunately was excess.
I can't see saying Avery was a bad pick...
when you consider all the experts thought Devin Thomas would go in the 1st round and he went right after Avery. And granted, Desean Jackson was the 3rd receiver taken but nobody had him going before Thomas. So, sure.. it would have been nice to have Desean Jackson on our team… but all the experts would have had us taking Thomas who, each year, is supposed to be the come-out player of the year and hasn’t seen the field full-time yet.
So in retrospect, I’d take Avery over Thomas anyday. But, in true Monday Morning QB dreaming, I’d take Desean Jackson in a heart beat!
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