ST. LOUIS (AP) -The St. Louis Rams placed offensive lineman Todd Steussie on injured reserve Saturday, two days after he broke his left foot in the team’s final preseason game.
The move was made after team medical personnel revised their estimate for Steussie’s recovery, which had initially been six to eight weeks. The Rams now believe he’ll be out at least eight weeks.
“It really is tough to carry for half a year a player that really is not available for half the season, so we are going to have to move forward and get some other guys ready,” Linehan said. “It’s a tough break, but it is a decision we had to make.”
Steussie, 36, was injured in the first half of a 10-3 victory over Kansas City on Thursday. The 13-year veteran missed only two games since entering the league in 1994 and made 15 starts last year, filling in at left guard and left tackle due to injuries.
For now, the Rams will carry two active quarterbacks with a third on the practice squad, after trading Ryan Fitzpatrick to Cincinnati earlier Saturday. Linehan said he believed “six or seven” NFL teams did that last year, clearing another roster spot.
The Rams also have two former college quarterbacks, wide receivers Drew Bennett and Marques Hagans, on the roster.
“We’ll figure out what kind of plays we would have to run with those fellows,” Linehan said.
Linebacker Jon Alston, a third-round draft pick last year, was among the nine additional cuts announced late Saturday to reach the 53-man roster limit. The Rams waived two draft picks from this year, center Dustin Fry (fifth round) and defensive tackle Keith Jackson (seventh).
Also waived were safety Andre Kirkland, offensive tackle Jeremy Parquet, wide receivers Derek Stanley and Dominique Thompson, and cornerback Darius Vinnett.
Cornerback Fakhir Brown, suspended for the first four games for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy, does not cost the team a roster spot.
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