The roster is officially set for the upcoming 2010 season for the Rams, as the team made its final cuts yesterday. I must admit that a few of the moves surprised me, and I will go over them in a minute. For now, here is the list off all the players who were released by the team yesterday.

WR Danario Alexander, G Roger Allen III, LB Devin Bishop, LB Cardia Jackson, CB Marquis Johnson, T Ryan McKee, WR Brandon McRae, G Drew Miller, FB Dennis Morris, QB Keith Null, RB Chris Ogbonnaya, DT Ernest Reid, DB Antoine Thompson, DE Victor Adeyanju, CB Quincy Butler and LB Bobby Carpenter.  S Kevin Payne (knee) and T Eric Young (knee) were placed on the reserve/injured list.

The guys who really stand out in this group have to be Null, Ogbonnaya, Carpenter, Adeyanju, and Butler. I really thought Null had the edge to be the third quarterback, but the team decided to go with the upside of Thaddeus Lewis. I don’t mind that move so much, it was just a little surprising. Ogbonnaya really played himself out of a spot in the preseason, so you can’t fault the team there. Carpenter wasn’t very good in the preseason either, but after trading Alex Barron for him I thought he would get a chance. Adeyanju really surprises me, because he was versatile and could really play anywhere on the line. Butler is a good player, and I’m pretty sure he will get picked up by another team.

Danario Alexander, Marquis Johnson, Brandon McRae, Ryan McKee, and Drew Miller have all been placed on the practice squad, which I pretty much expected. I still really like Alexander, but he needs to get completely healthy and acclimated to the NFL before he will be ready to contribute.

As I said yesterday, the Rams made a minor move in trading Hall Davis (who was cut today by the Redskins, by the way) in exchange for Dennis Morris. Now, the opportunity has risen for the front office to step up and make a move that will actually help this team. Running back Derrick Ward was released by the Tampa Bay Bucs today, and there is no reason he should not be a member of the Rams this season. I’m not going to sit here and tell you that Ward is a phenomenal running back or anything, but he is far and away better than anyone we have on this roster to back up Steven Jackson. I have been saying it for months, but we desperately need a backup at the position, and I think Ward is a perfect fit. He has been productive as a backup in his career, and he played with Coach Spags with the Giants a few years ago ( we know how Spags loves “his guys”).

There have already been rumors that the Rams are interested, and we are to a point right now where I will be disappointed if they don’t seal the deal. I can’t imagine the team will go into the regular season without making an addition at the position, and I don’t see any reason to wait and take a chance that a better player gets cut. Ward is the fit, so let’s all hold our collective breaths.

Final Preseason Game Preview

Normally I would make this a separate post, but the final preseason game doesn’t tell us much except who will occupy the final spots on the roster. Here are some battles to watch tonight.

1. Third Quarterback- This thing has really developed into one of the best battles in camp, which is funny because it’s for a position that essentially means nothing to the success of the team. Keith Null and Thaddeus Lewis have both been impressive in the preseason, and tonight’s game could very well determine which players stays and which goes.

2. Wide Receiver- This battle became a little less interesting after the injury to Donnie Avery, but it’s still worth watching. It’s safe to say that Laurent Robinson, Mardy Gilyard, and Danny Amendola are in, and I’d say Brandon Gibson and Keenan Burton have a good chance to be in as well. As far as Danario Alexander goes, I would expect him to be a practice squad guy for at least the start of the season.

3. Defensive End- George Selvie and Eugene Sims are both back as far as I know, and I would expect to see plenty of both players tonight. It remains to be seen how much their respective injuries hurt them, but strong performances tonight would go a long way in securing spots.

I hope I didn’t get your hopes up with that title, because I can understand how you might think that this move actually improved the roster, when in fact, it didn’t. The team traded rookie defensive end Hall Davis to Washington in exchange for FB/TE Dennis Morris. I have to say, I don’t really understand the move. Apparently, Morris is more of a H-back, but I cant imagine he will crack the roster at either fullback or tight end. He isn’t better than Mike Karney as a fullback, and if there is one thing we have learned this preseason, it’s that we have some pretty solid young tight ends on this roster. I doubt if Davis would have made the team either, but but whatever.

In other news, it sounds as if Steven Jackson is ready for the regular season. Jackson said today that he would be fine with not playing in the team’s final preseason game this week, but he might still get a few carries. Let’s be honest… If Steven says he is ready, I believe him.

In some injury news, it looks like rookies George Selvie and Eugene Sims are both healthy, so that’s good news for the defense. I still love Selvie, so hopefully this injury didn’t hurt his chances to make the squad. Also, OG John Greco is back at practice and he hopes to get some snaps on Thursday. I’m not ready to give up on Greco just yet, but he needs to prove he can consistently stay healthy pretty soon or he might be  out of a job.