Rams waive RB Daryl Richardson & DT Jermelle Cudjo

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RamBill

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Rams notes: Rams release RB Richardson
• By Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_ff7744ea-1bb1-5c19-9e21-ac7f5752d3e8.html

From the moment the Rams drafted Auburn running back Tre Mason in Round 3 a week ago, you knew either Daryl Richardson or Isaiah Pead was in trouble.

But the competition between the two never made it to training camp. In fact, it never made it to next month’s OTA practices, because the Rams released Richardson on Thursday along with three other players: defensive tackle Jermelle Cudjo, offensive lineman Graham Pocic, and offensive tackle Emmanuel McCray.

Richardson could not be reached for comment, but late Thursday afternoon, he issued a farewell on his certified Twitter account:

”Thankful to the @STLouisRams for the opportunities they have given me & to the fans for all of your support. God bless (you) guys!”

So Pead, who was a second-round pick in the same draft that brought Richardson to St. Louis, gets an apparent reprieve. Pead has been a major disappointment in his two seasons here, particularly considering his draft status.

Nine months ago, late in training camp, Richardson was named the opening-day starter — Steven Jackson’s successor if you will. But after a strong rookie season in 2012, the seventh-rounder from Abilene Christian struggled out of the gate in 2013.

He suffered a significant turf toe injury in the season opener against Arizona and wasn’t right for the rest of the season. Because of the injury, Richardson couldn’t push off the front of the foot. It not only affected his acceleration — probably the best aspect of his game — it also made planting and cutting difficult.

Such injuries can linger forever, especially if you try to keep playing, and that was the case with Richardson. He started two of the next three games after the injury before giving way to Zac Stacy as the starter.

Even though Richardson didn’t play in the final eight games, he kept practicing most of that time. Once the offseason arrived, the Rams had Richardson stay off the foot to let it heal, with no surgery planned.

As the next-to-last player selected in the 2012 draft, the speedy Richardson was a pleasant surprise as a rookie, gaining 475 yards and averaging 4.8 yards per carry. He looked very much like a late-round steal with four carries for 20-plus yards, including a 53-yard dash in Game 2 against Washington.

But slowed by the turf toe and other assorted ailments, Richardson rushed for only 215 yards and 3.1 yards a carry last season. His longest run went for a modest 14 yards in the Rams’ Monday night game against Seattle on Oct. 28.

THE OTHER CUTS

Cudjo has been with the Rams since 2010, making the team as an undrafted rookie. He had his best season in 2012 when he registered 39 tackles and a sack and started four games. But he suffered a stress fracture in his foot last offseason and began training camp on the active/PUP list. Perhaps because of the late start, he didn’t play as well last season as a backup in the team’s defensive line rotation.

The addition of defensive tackles Alex Carrington in free agency and Aaron Donald in Round 1 (No. 13 overall) in the draft meant it would be tough for Cudjo to make the final roster. So, as was the case with Richardson, the surprise wasn’t that Cudjo was released — just that he was cut before OTAs and training camp.

Cudjo signed a two-year, $1.8 million contract in March 2013 that included a $350,000 signing bonus. The Rams must absorb half of that signing bonus ($175,000) as dead money. But Cudjo was due a $900,000 base salary this year, which now becomes cap savings.

McCray, from the University of Mississippi, had just joined the team earlier this week as an undrafted free agent. Pocic was placed on injured reserve at the end of training camp last summer because of a shoulder/labrum injury.

After Thursday’s cuts, the Rams have 86 players, or four under the offseason roster limit.
 
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I'd rather like to see them trade pead. From what I understand they tried to trade him in the draft. probably the ravens trade that failed.
 

kurtfaulk

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I was thinking more of a stable vet. A one year rental.

Britt is exactly what quick needs. He can show him all the tricks of the trade seeing they are exactly the same body shape.

.
 

shaunpinney

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Hope all 3 get picked up soon, a different system may work better for Richardson.

Andre Johnson would turn our offense into a very dangerous unit (y)
 

BonifayRam

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Hope all 3 get picked up soon, a different system may work better for Richardson.
Andre Johnson would turn our offense into a very dangerous unit (y)

An offense like the Eagles or KC could work for DR.

Cudjo was beat out by Matt Conrath last season as the first reserve DT rotated in. Makes sense to me now that you draft a DT with your first round pick and then sign a starting DL'er in Free Agency.
 

Sum1

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And who didn't like the name alone. Yeah - I really liked him too. So now I guess I will not say who else I like.o_O
He was ok...but let's be honest. The Rams are getting rid of these underdog contributors and churning the roster by adding REAL depth. That's a step closer to winning rather than 7-9 being a good season.
 

snackdaddy

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Freeing up room for when we trade for Andre Johnson?

There should be a praying smiley.

Andre Johnson would be the perfect cure for what ails our receiver situation. An Anquan Boldin type receiver. Yup, sure could use a praying smiley for that one.
 

Ramhusker

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Why did y'all have to put this Andre Johnson pipe dream in my head? How awesome would that be?
 

CoachO

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yeaaaa......we only have like 5.6million in cap space, and we have to sign all our rookies. Andre isn't coming here.

While I agree A. Johnson is not coming here, the rookie salaries are not an issue. Givne the way the off season salary cap is counted, only the top 51 count against a "soft cap". K. Demoff has said that the rookie salaries always take care of themselves, because once they get to the season, any of the rookies who sick, are just taking the place of someone who was already on the roster, thereby they cancel one anther out.

A lot of people seem to think this $$$ amount has to be figured in addition to what is already on the books. But since only the top 51 count until the week prior to the regular season, the rookie contracts are virtually a wash.
 

ZigZagRam

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That's the case for most rookies, but you do have to factor in the higher contracts of your Day 1 and Day 2 picks, especially since we've been lucky enough to have multiple 1st rounders the past few years.
 

ChrisW

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While I agree A. Johnson is not coming here, the rookie salaries are not an issue. Givne the way the off season salary cap is counted, only the top 51 count against a "soft cap". K. Demoff has said that the rookie salaries always take care of themselves, because once they get to the season, any of the rookies who sick, are just taking the place of someone who was already on the roster, thereby they cancel one anther out.

A lot of people seem to think this $$$ amount has to be figured in addition to what is already on the books. But since only the top 51 count until the week prior to the regular season, the rookie contracts are virtually a wash.

It won't really cancel out completely, but be more of a "net" addition (like you sign a guy for 500,000k and cut a guy for 300,000k your cap raised by a net of 200,000k).

You can't tell me that the 2 first rounders and second rounder will cancel someone's salary out. They'll have to be added to the overall cap because they will count in the top 51.
 

CoachO

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It won't really cancel out completely, but be more of a "net" addition (like you sign a guy for 500,000k and cut a guy for 300,000k your cap raised by a net of 200,000k).

You can't tell me that the 2 first rounders and second rounder will cancel someone's salary out. They'll have to be added to the overall cap because they will count in the top 51.

Don't shoot the messenger. I am repeating the words straight from K. Demoff when asked this direct question at one of the Season Ticket Holders luncheons. He does not worry about the rookie salaries, as I stated, he considers them a wash by the time its all said and done.

He's as good as there is when it comes to making the cap work. I just don't understand why so many amateur "capologists" all think the know more about what they have, and will have available when its a very fluid situation. It changes month to month, week to week, and once the season approaches, day to day.
 

ChrisW

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Don't shoot the messenger. I am repeating the words straight from K. Demoff when asked this direct question at one of the Season Ticket Holders luncheons. He does not worry about the rookie salaries, as I stated, he considers them a wash by the time its all said and done.

He's as good as there is when it comes to making the cap work. I just don't understand why so many amateur "capologists" all think the know more about what they have, and will have available when its a very fluid situation. It changes month to month, week to week, and once the season approaches, day to day.

Yea. No hostility here, CoachO. Sometimes my posts seem aggressive, that's just my writing style.

Perhaps he was trying to explain the way it works to a layperson? Someone whom he think wants exact monetary figures. But if you look at the numbers on http://overthecap.com/teamcap.php?Team=Rams&Year=2014 , there's no way that some of those salaries will cancel out when we sign our new first rounders and second rounder.
 

Ramhusker

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Yea. No hostility here, CoachO. Sometimes my posts seem aggressive, that's just my writing style.

Perhaps he was trying to explain the way it works to a layperson? Someone whom he think wants exact monetary figures. But if you look at the numbers on http://overthecap.com/teamcap.php?Team=Rams&Year=2014 , there's no way that some of those salaries will cancel out when we sign our new first rounders and second rounder.
Yeah, it rarely ever is going to cancel out evenly because you are usually adding two or three that will be making more than those they replace but I'm sure it's close enough to not cause cap problems. Of course, when you cut Richardson and Cudjo, that was probably more than enough to cover the difference.