July 21, 2011; Atlanta, GA, USA; St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke arrives at the Atlanta Airport Marriott prior to the NFL owners meeting. Mandatory Credit: Joshua S. Kelly-US PRESSWIRE

The NFL owners meetings aren’t usually one of my highlights of the spring, but a couple of interesting changes came out of the gathering on Tuesday. According to sources, the owners have agreed to move the trade deadline from Week 6 to Week 8 and they have also decided to change the injured reserve rule to allow each team the option to place one player on IR for only part of the season instead of the move ending the player’s year.

I have to say that I’m a big fan of both of these changes, and I don’t see any reason why the players would object. The trade deadline isn’t ever a huge deal in the NFL like it is in some other sports, but moving it back two weeks could make it more interesting as teams get more desperate later in the season. I could see a few more moves resulting from the two-week delay, but I do think that high-profile trades due to injury could have a better chance of increasing.

The IR rule is outstanding. Being able to use a roster spot of a star player who will miss a good chunk of the season without losing him for the year will be a very interesting adjustment. According to those familiar with the specifics, “a player who is on the roster for Week One and then gets hurt during the season can be placed on injured reserve and designated for return, and then can return to practice six weeks later and play in a game eight weeks later.”

Neither one of these changes are earth-shattering by any means, but I do think they are a big deal and will have an impact on the game. The IR rule should especially factor in right away, and I wouldn’t be shocked if moving the trade deadline back created some buzz as well during Week 8. Good work, owners.

The Rams placed rookie tight end Fendi Onobun on injured reserve today with a bulging disk in his back, so he is done for the season. To fill the roster spot, the team signed Derek Schouman to the active roster. This is a bit disappointing, but the good news is that he will have time to fully heal without worrying about getting back on the field. He is a project, and I think it’s fair to expect big things of him in the future. Don’t forget, he is a baby when it comes to football experience after playing basketball in college, so the more he is around the team and in the film room, the better he will become.

In other injury news, the team is still relatively healthy. Everyone was out on the practice field today, but a few guys were limited at least a little bit. Danario Alexander, James Butler, Donnie Jones, Brit Miller, and Rodger Saffold all missed some time today, but it looks like all of those guys are improving. As far as DX goes, it looks like he is getting very close to returning. There’s still a possibility he could go this weekend against the Falcons, but he will be evaluated in a couple of days. It would be a huge boost to get him back in the lineup, so keep your fingers crossed. Saffold’s MRI came back negative, but his status is still very up in the air. Jones should be good to go, and Butler is improving. We are going to need all hands on deck for a difficult matchup with Atlanta.