The St. Louis Rams made seven roster cuts this afternoon. All of the players released today were undrafted free agents this year, a group that got a particularly raw deal because of the lockout. Those seven moves put the roster at 73, which means head coach Steve Spagnuolo and his staff have 20 more cuts to make before tomorrow's 4 p.m. Eastern deadline. And who were these players?
DE Demario Ambrose, CB Tae Evans, LB Pete Fleps, T Cody Habben, G Randall Hunt, CB Jeremy McGee and FB Van Stumon, all were undrafted rookies. I feel for the UDFAs this season. Normally, teams sign them the day after the draft, sort of an eighth round. Through minicamps and OTAs, they get a more thorough look from coaches, the chance to learn the system and get to know the ropes of being an NFL player. I'll spare you the hackish sportswriter cliches about broken dreams, etc. At the end of the day, the NFL is a business like anything else, something that it's easy to forget as a fan. Undrafted free agents have a a tough enough time cracking the roster, and that hill was even steeper this year. Best of luck to all these guys and the rest of the players to be cut by the end of the day tomorrow.
Spagnuolo revealed some more information today, sort of.
- Mark Clayton will most likely start the year on the PUP list. Making him the wide receiver cavalry come week seven. You thought he was fine? He is, but think football shape.
- TE Michael Hoomanawaui will be limited this week. Keep an eye on him for week one.