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Anything Rob Parker touches turns into something the opposite of gold. On Friday morning, he dished out a scoop saying that the St. Louis Rams have already released wide receiver Titus Young. Parker is the only person reporting that, and there is no other confirmation of the report. The Rams have not yet responded to an inquiry from TST to confirm.
Jim Thomas at the Post-Dispatch later reported, via Twitter, that Young's agent declined comment. Nothing is confirmed, but the circumstantial evidence suddenly looks harder to ignore. Jeff Fisher is scheduled for a 1:00 p.m. CT press conference, so we should at least find out for sure at that point.
The Rams picked up Young a week ago, after the Detroit Lions released him. He was in St. Louis this week for a physical and to meet with the coaching staff. If has in fact been cut by the Rams already, something happened in Earth City this week, but what?
Rob Parker's report (I know, I know) suggests that Young may be done with football forever.
The easy speculation is that his attitude must of interfered with his second chance in St. Louis. Given his past, that is not particularly far fetched. However, he could have also failed the physical. Hell, the Rams may have seen the light on a deal with Danny Amendola and/or Brandon Gibson that made any potential headache with Young unnecessary, but that last option is unlikely.
Speaking of Amendola, Young's release from the Rams already, if true, would do nothing to hurt his client's position in negotiations, even after the dumb remark Amendola's agent made in reaction to the Young signing. Without Young on the roster, the Rams have one less warm body to replace Amendola or Gibson, both due for unrestricted free agency.
Unchanged is the fact that the St. Louis Rams need receivers. With two of their top three, and "top" being a relative term, bound for the free agent market, the team needs help at that position from a numbers standpoint alone. Cap space is limited. Remember, even a $6 million annual deal for Amendola is considered too high. That means the Rams are unlikely to be players for the bigger names in free agency at receiver. It also means you should probably start familiarizing yourself with potential first-round picks at the position.