The NFL offseason is officially open for business. Sure, it's been the offseason for most NFL teams for over a month now, but today marks an important milestone as teams are now free to release players and sign players that have been released.
Last year at this time, the St. Louis Rams didn't release many players right away. What players they do release, if any, aren't likely to make headlines. They'll be players on the fringes of the roster, practice squad types or guys that whose recovery from injuries is in doubt.
Keep an eye out for potential additions too. The Rams signed Buffalo TE Derek Fine in mid-February last year, a player with some potential to be a fourth TE on the roster and a long history of injuries. He didn't last very long. Nevertheless, Devaney could find some decent depth among the players that might get released (how's that for tentative?); his work pulling players off the scrap pile has yielded pretty solid results through his tenure in St. Louis.
If the league and the union can get the CBA deal done by the March 4 deadline, roster movement will really pick up. During the time between the start of the offseason last year and the NFL Draft, the Rams released Marc Bulger.