By Jim Thomas
Two rookie prospects — one big, and one promising — won’t make it to training camp this year for the Rams. The team released offensive tackle Terrell Brown and linebacker Phillip Steward, both with the waived-injured designation Wednesday, creating two vacancies on the 90-man training camp roster just a week before the start of full-squad practices.
Brown had a pre-existing injury (before signing with the Rams), so his waiver counts basically as a straight release. Steward, however, suffered a torn Achilles’ tendon doing some rehab work last week at Rams Park for a minor muscle injury in his back. Steward had surgery Tuesday and is out for the season. Once he clears waivers, he will be placed on the Rams’ injured reserve list.
The Rams were looking for linebacker help even before Steward’s injury — veteran linebacker help, to be specific. They are expected to sign a linebacker before the first full-squad practice July 25, and former Ram Will Witherspoon is the favorite to join the team.
Witherspoon, 32, played with the Rams for three-plus seasons from 2006-09. He led the team in tackles in 2006 and ’07 and was team MVP in ’07, when he also had a team-high seven sacks. Six games into the 2009 season, he was sent to Philadelphia as part of the trade that brought wide receiver Brandon Gibson to St. Louis.
Witherspoon owns a farm and ranch in Owensville, Mo. He has spent the past three seasons with the Tennessee Titans, so he has played for Rams head coach Jeff Fisher, assistant head coach Dave McGinnis and new linebackers coach Frank Bush.
Witherspoon was among three veteran free-agent linebackers to pay free-agent visits to Rams Park in June before the conclusion of the team’s spring practices. The others were Takeo Spikes and Chris Gocong. It looks like Gocong will end up somewhere: He has drawn interest from several teams including an offer from one (unknown) squad.
Of the 10 remaining linebackers on the Rams’ offseason roster following Steward’s injury, five are rookies and two others have only one year of experience. That leaves James Laurinaitis, Jo-Lonn Dunbar and Josh Hull as the only linebackers on the roster with any appreciable NFL experience.
Brown and Steward were signed as undrafted rookies in the spring, and Steward in particular looked like someone who could contend for a spot on the 53-man roster. He had a breakout college season in 2013 at Houston, recording 128 tackles, 19½ tackles for loss, 11 sacks, and three interceptions in 12 games. Steward was a Conference-USA first-team selection and led the league with five forced fumbles. He was projected by some to be a possible late-round selection but went undrafted.
During the spring, Steward was working with the Rams’ second unit at times.
The massive Brown, who rarely played in college at Mississippi, was much more of a project. He played only two games in 2012 and eight games in 2011 for Ole Miss. Listed at 6-10, 385 pounds, Brown showed up bigger than that at Rams Park in the spring.
“Actually, we weighed him in at 403,” Fisher said then.
