The St. Louis Rams have signed 31-year old fullback Dan Kreider to a 1-year contract.  Kreider is the classic blocking fullback who should be able to give Brian Leonard a breather from time to time.  He also could replace Leonard at fullback to free him up to play tailback if anything happens to Steven Jackson this season.  Kreider played in 10 games for the Steelers last season and he carried the ball 1 time for 2 yards.  He also caught 1 pass for 15 yards last year.  If Kreider gets playing time for the Rams he should help out the running game big time because of his blocking.  Kreider has now played in 113 games in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 31 times for 144 yards (4.6 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  He also has caught 60 passes for 471 yards (7.9 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Kreider is basically just a solid, hard nosed player who makes every team he plays on better.  So, this was a good move for the Rams.

2nd year fullback Brian Leonard is so athletic that he also can play tailback.  He’s a little small for fullback at 6′1″, 226 pounds but he can cause matchup problems in the passing game for other teams.  Leonard played in 16 games (7 starts) as a rookie for the Rams last season and he carried the ball 86 times for 303 yards (3.5 ypc).  He also caught 30 passes for 183 yards (6.1 avg) last year.  Look for the Rams to get him the ball more this season.

6′4″, 273 pound converted TE Richard Owens will likely be the backup at fullback in 2008 for the Rams.  Owens played in 14 games (1 start) for the Rams last season and he caught 1 pass for 9 yards.  Owens likely won’t get much playing time at fullback unless the Rams suffer injuries at either tailback or fullback.  Owens has now played in 53 games (7 starts) in his NFL career and he has caught 17 passes for 141 yards (8.3 avg) with 1 TD grab.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  B