The St. Louis Rams came into training camp knowing that they were not the most talented wide receiver unit in the league.  They knew that they were going to need receivers to step up out of the mix and that they were also going to have to stay healthy this year.  Who steps out of the mix remains in question but what is really starting to become a major issue is the health factor.  Head Coach Steve Spagnuolo announced today that wide receivers Brooks Foster and Tim Carter are both going to miss significant time.

Brooks Foster has a sprained ankle that will keep him out for the next two to four weeks.  Foster did receive an MRI and he is currently walking around in a boot.  Tim Carter also had to get an MRI today because of a groin injury.  Carter is expected to miss the next 10 days to two weeks with the injury.  When you include Donnie Avery who is questionable to start on opening day it means that three of the Rams projected top 6 receivers will most likely miss the rest of the preseason games.  What started as an already shallow position is getting thinner by the minute.

The Rams face two problems while trying to deal with this issue.  First, the available talent is just not out there at this point.  If a player is going to do something in the NFL in 2009 then they are on a roster.  Second the Rams are at the maximum capacity on their roster.  When it was brought up today if the Rams were going to bring someone in Spagnuolo said, "If you do you got to lose somebody.  I don't know if we want to do that, we'll try to get by with the guys we have right now.  But it's a one for one now.  We're right at 80 it's not like you can add one.  I don't know if there is a position that we can afford to lose anybody."  All that means is that the Rams have no wiggle room at this point.

So where do the Rams go from here?  The short answer is that Keenan Burton, Ronald Curry and Derek Stanley are going to get every opportunity to stake claim to a starting position.  As well guys who are on the fringes get an even better shot at making the roster.  Sean Walker who scored a touchdown against the Jets should be salivating at the chance.

I am certain that Steve Spagnuolo and Billy Devaney are ready to pounce on some wide receiving talent that might become available after the first round of cuts.  But until that happens there is really nothing the Rams can do.  The Rams knew wide receiver was going to be a problem in 2009 but they could not have expected all of the problems that have already arisen in the 2009 pre-season.

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