EARTH CITY, Mo. -- The St. Louis Rams made 12 roster moves Monday to edge closer to the league-mandated 75 players that must populate rosters by Tuesday afternoon.
There were no big surprises on the list of those let go or placed on injured reserve, but cornerback Imoan Claiborne probably comes closest to qualifying. He played well in the preseason, including an interception in the opener against Oakland. But Claiborne was probably best known for punching Dallas wide receiver Dez Bryant in the face during a brawl between the teams in Oxnard, California, two weeks ago.
In addition to Claiborne, the Rams also released tackle Steven Baker, guard Travis Bond, safety Jay Hughes, long snapper Tyler Ott, kicker/punter Michael Palardy, receiver Tyler Slavin, tight end Brad Smelley, linebacker Korey Toomer and center David Wang. Smelley and Toomer were waived with the injury designation.
The Rams also terminated the contract of receiver Damian Williams and officially placed cornerback E.J. Gaines (foot) on injured reserve. That brings the roster to 77. They have until Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET to make the other three moves to get to 75.
