According to reports, it's believed the Rams waived WR Nate Jones to make room for CB Anthony Smith and DT LaJuan Ramsey. That leaves the Rams roster with just 4 wide receivers, an impossibly low number for the final roster. 

Clearly there's another shoe to drop, and that will most likely involve making a move for a receiver. 

Eagles WR Reggie Brown remained on the Eagles roster, but it's unlikely they'll keep seven WRs. Of course, there are other possibilities. For that to happen, the Rams will likely need to make another cut of  their own. Smith and Ramsey could both be auditioning this week, as well as the other players at those positions. I can't imagine any DT is safe right now other than Clifton Ryan. 

More roster moves sure to come.

The Rams have made their roster moves to trim down to 53 players. No real surprises on the list, but a couple of names caused me to do a double take.

Here's the official list:

LB K.C. Asiodu, QB Brock Berlin, DT Antwon Burton, TE Eric Butler, DE Ian Campbell, WR Tim Carter, WR Ronald Curry, LB Dominic Douglas, T Renardo Foster, FB Jerome Johnson, S Todd Johnson, C Tim Mattran, RB Chris Ogbonnaya, CB Cord Parks, RB Antonio Pittman, S Mark Rubin, G Roy Schuening, T Phil Trautwein and WR Sean Walker.

Carriker and DE Eric Moore went on IR. 

I was a little surprised by Johnson's name on this list, since he's been a part of the special teams and filled in for Corey Chavous down the stretch last year. Then again, it's not like he was anything special, and Spags brought in his own guy in Craig Dahl.

Congrats to Roger Allen III for making the cut.

What's interesting about this is that the Rams kept just five wide receivers: Avery, Burton, Robinson, Stanley, and Nate Jones. 

Next task will be getting players signed to the practice squad...and combing the wires for available help elsewhere. I'd definitely think Ogbonnaya and Schuening will be on the practice squad, possibly Parks too. 

3k will be keeping tabs on potential future Rams with game threads throughout the day.

3k note: I'll be in this open thread through the OSU-Georgia game.

[Note by VanRam, 09/05/09 3:38 PM EDT ] Jeez, OG John Greco broke his wrist against the Chiefs, has to have surgery and is out 2-3 weeks. Could be worse, but, man, the minor breaks and strains are dogging the Rams this month. Hopefully, they won't need him in that time.

[Note by VanRam, 09/05/09 2:37 PM EDT ] Berlin gets the axe, making Null third QB. Schuening and two other OL are gone as is FB Jerome Johnson (who could be a practice squader). 

[Note by VanRam, 09/05/09 12:57 PM EDT ] The Rams have cut WR Ronald Curry. Are they going to go with just five WRs? Surely Tim Carter doesn't make the final cut?

[Note by VanRam, 09/05/09 12:59 PM EDT ] Dominic Rhodes is now available...hmmm. THoughts?

Lots of names you've heard of and never heard of will be getting their walking papers today. Team will be making cuts based on performance and salary savings. St. Louis Rams GM Billy Devaney has been pretty astute cherry picking the waiver wire for help, so keep an eye on what names emerge that could be of potential interest to the Rams.

Based on preseason and camp results, I'd say the priorities for positions of need for the Rams are:

1. Defensive tackle - with Carriker out, and a question mark in Hollis Thomas, we could use someone else, especially since the run defense still looks vulnerable to the big play.
2. Running back - Maybe Gado's ribs are fine, but I'd still keep an eye out for a real speedster to complement SJ39.
3. Cornerback - Don't get me wrong, this unit has a great future ahead. Still, a veteran presence would ease a lot of minds, especially in a division featuring Fitzgerald and Boldin. Don't forget we have a game against the Colts this season too.
4. Wide receiver - This would have atop the list four weeks ago, but Avery looks ready to go and Laurent Robinson really made his mark this month.

St. Louis Rams DT Adam Carriker is done for the 2009 season...and maybe beyond.

The Rams have decided to put the 2007 first round draft pick on IR, ending his season. The Rams are now without two of their last four first round picks. They only have four players taken by the team in the first round over the last ten years, giving you an idea of just how the franchise got to where it's at now.

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St. Louis Rams running back Samkon Gado has a rib injury. How will it impact the Rams backup RB situation?

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It's a big day today for the St. Louis Rams as they shave 21 players off their roster to meet the league's deadline for finalizing their 53-man roster before the start of the regular season. Overlapping that imposing deadline is the news that DT Adam Carriker could be out for a while with a shoulder injury and Samkon Gado, the backup runner, is nursing a cartilage damage in his rib cage. Rams GM Billy Devaney and Co. are going to be very busy today.

First, Gado. There's possibly some good news there as the official Rams site says that it's mostly a pain tolerance issue for Gado. Of course, for a running back, pain in the rib cage could be pretty dicey. I'm not convinced enough by Gado to minimize anything that could slow him down. Roster cuts always carry a potential solution or two at running back, so keep an eye on what names emerge this weekend. Gado is going to test it out in practice this week, which means a move on this front might not happen immediately. The free agent scrap pile doesn't have much left on it at the moment - Shuan Alexander anyone? - outside of some oldsters and guys who once shined in Denver's infamous system. Here's a report from Scout.com looking at some names that might be job hunting after cuts today. Running backs of interest on that list include: Jamal Lewis, Justin Fargas, Chris Henry (TEN), and Lorenzo Booker.

Fargas is the most complete, and a reduced role would cut down on the injury risk. Henry is fast and could do special teams work.

As far as Carriker goes, they could stick him on IR and go with the four DTs we mentioned yesterday. That looks kind of like an expansion team list of DTs. From that same Scout.com report, Oakland's Terdell Sands could be a roster cut, and would be an upgrade in the run stopper role. The Browns might be looking to trade Corey Williams who doesn't have a place in their new 3-4. He'd be more of the gap shooting type DT. Former Jets and Broncos DT Dewayne Robertson is still out there, sitting by his phone waiting for a call from some team desperate at DT. 

One thing that helps the Rams at DT is the fact that Spags and Flajole like to use DEs in those spots on blitz packages. That could have an impact on roster decisions. 

Stay tuned. We've got you covered.

More photos » by Seth Perlman - AP

The St. Louis Rams abused the Kansas City Chiefs in a 17-9 win to conclude the preseason.

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Here's a look at what's being said about the St. Louis Rams victory over the Chiefs to conclude the preseason.

What does a winning preseason mean? Nothing really, but the PD reminds us what happened the last two times the Rams had a winning preseason since coming to St. Louis:

That may or may not be a good thing, because in two of the three previous winning preseasons, the Rams coach was fired at the end of the year. The Rams finished 3-1 in 1996, with Rich Brooks fired after a 6-10 regular season. The Rams also went 3-1 during the 2005 preseason, with Mike Martz fired after another 6-10 regular season.

Funny how things change. A 6-10 season would be a huge improvement for the Rams and give Steve Spagnuolo some job security.

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St. Louis Rams defensive tackle Adam Carriker suffered a shoulder injury against the Chiefs last night, and by all accounts it seems like it could be serious. The team isn't saying much about the injury, but Spagnuolo conveyed his dismay that it could be a bad situation.

If you recall, Carriker was just coming back from an ankle injury, getting into his first taste of preseason work last night...with the second  team. The former first round pick has battled injuries throughout his college (didn't stop Linehan and Haslett from drafting him at #14 overall though) and professional careers.

I know the extent of the injury isn't known, but this does not bode well for Carriker's future in the league. He has officially earned the label "injury risk" and calling him a "bust" isn't out of line either. 

If Carriker's injury is as serious as it sounds, the Rams would probably opt to stick him on the PUP list, starting the season with Clifton Ryan, preseason surprise Gary Gibson, Darell Scott, and Hollis Thomas at DT. That's not a great DT lineup, but can be serviceable in this system. Obviously DL jumps to the top of the priority list next year.