St. Louis cuts to its final 53-man roster

ST. LOUIS — With Stephen Davis in a Rams uniform, the St. Louis Rams cut veteran Moe Williams and nine other players Saturday to get to the league-mandated 53-man roster. Among the other players cut was former Missouri guard Tony Palmer.

Davis, a three-time Pro-Bowl running back released by Carolina in the spring, signed with St. Louis on Friday.

Rams coach Scott Linehan indicated Davis would play in the season opener Sept. 10 against Denver despite not being in game-day shape, which led to the thought of keeping four tailbacks on the roster for at least the first game.

“It was certainly considered but then you have to lose a fullback or a tight end,” Linehan said. “At the end, it all adds up to the number we planned from the start. It’s never perfect, but right now it’s the best 53 to get ourselves ready for next Sunday.”

The Rams signed Williams in early August to help fill the gap created by the loss of Marshall Faulk, who will miss this season with what likely is a career-ending knee problem.

Williams, in his 10th year in the league, spent the past four seasons in Minnesota where Linehan served as offensive coordinator from 2002-2004. Williams did not gain much traction, however, during his month in St. Louis. He gained 41 yards on 18 carries in four preseason games.

Davis said it was difficult to see Williams let go.

“I’ve known Moe from when we played each other in (college),” Davis said. “I got a lot of respect for him, because he’s a great football player. When opportunities come, you just got to make the best of them. “You hate to see things like that happen, but I’m pretty sure he’ll get something.”

Also released Saturday were quarterback Dave Ragone, tight end Jerome Collins, cornerback DeJuan Groce, defensive tackles Brian Howard and Tim Sandidge, linebacker Tim McGarigle, running back Fred Russell and wide receiver Dominique Thompson.

Linehan said cutting Ragone proved one of the tougher moves he had to make. Linehan served as the offensive coordinator during Ragone’s first three years at Louisville and helped bring the quarterback to St. Louis via a trade with Cincinnati during the summer.

But in choosing the Rams’ No. 3 quarterback behind starter Marc Bulger and Gus Frerotte, statistics favored Ryan Fitzpatrick over Ragone.

Ragone completed 16-of-29 attempts during the preseason but also threw two interceptions.

“He worked an uphill battle and improved and did well and better in every game until the last one. He’ll have some feelers from other people,” Linehan said.