St. Louis Rams injury report: Eugene Sims, Brit Miller practicing again

The St. Louis Rams had a guest on Thursday. Veteran defensive end Jimmy Wilkerson stopped by for a cursory check in with the team. It's the kind of free agent visit a team does when it needs to see where things stand with possible mid-season replacements, the kinds of moves teams make to fill-in for injured starters.

Wilkerson spent 2010 with the Saints, so he's something of a known commodity for Blake Williams. He's strictly a role player at this point.

Defensive end William Hayes missed practice on Thursday, but Eugene Sims was back in action after a concussion put him on the shelf for last Thursday's game. Hayes has only played 116 snaps for the Rams this season, but they have been productive ones. He has a very solid 4.8 grade from Pro Football Focus against the run.

Speaking of defensive linemen, undrafted rookie Matt Conrath was a full go at practice on Thursday. His height makes him an intriguing play on passing downs, and he was seeing time in the starting rotation through the preseason. I don't wonder if the coaches will keep him inactive this week until he has time to get more reps.

Fullback Brit Miller was back at practice on Thursday, a full participant. That's very good news for the Rams because Miller is a big part of the special teams crew. Besides, the Rams are in no position to take the field without all the blockers they can get.

Mario Haggan and Hayes were the only players sitting out, beyond the obvious ones like Danny Amendola and Rodger Saffold. Amendola is out another month, and could be back after the Rams bye week.

Saffold is the guy to keep your eye on. The Rams lost him in Week 2 with an MCL sprain that put him on the shelf for a month. He could be ready to return as soon as next week against the Packers, on the most optimistic of timelines. At the very least, he might be available to play in London against the Patriots.