Danario Alexander Injury: Rams WR Limited In Practice...No Rush

St. Louis Rams wide receiver Danario Alexander was back on the practice field with this teammates today. Alexander missed last week's game against the Saints with a hamstring injury, and he could still miss this week's game against the Cardinals. The Rams did not miss Alexander last week, and might be better served by taking a cautious approach. 

Alexander has been a boom or bust player since joining the Rams' active roster last year as a replacement for Mark Clayton. A big part of Alexander's problem is a woeful 41 percent catch rate. That isn't entirely his fault as some passes, especially for a guy who gets a good number of deep targets. 

When an offensive relies on a guy who catches four of every ten passes thrown his way as number one wide receiver, it just adds to the hiccups that prevented the Rams offense from sustaining drives. Sure, other factors, like the offensive line, have played an equal or bigger role in creating a plethora of three-and-outs, but there's a cumulative effect. 

Now, the Rams have a pretty reliable deep threat in Brandon Lloyd. In fact, more than just a deep threat, Lloyd is effective catching passes in the short to middle range of the field. 

When Alexander does return, you can expect his snap count to decrease. That's fine. Using DX in a more limited, specific role should increase his effectiveness, a la Malcom Floyd with the Chargers.