The Rams have signed 32-year old linebacker Ben Leber to a 1-year deal.  Leber played in all 16 games for the Vikings last year and he had 46 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery and 4 passes defensed.  He has now played in 136 games in his first 9 years in the NFL and he has 483 tackles, 36 tackles for a loss, 24 sacks, 12 forced fumbles, 10 fumble recoveries, 29 passes defensed and 5 interceptions.  This was a very solid pickup for the Rams so late in free agency.

The Rams have signed 27-year old G/T Quinn Ojinnaka.  Ojinnaka played in 8 games (0 starts) for the Patriots last year.  He has now played in 47 games (12 starts) in his first five years in the NFL.  Ojinnaka’s experience and versatility will be an asset to the Rams’ offense in 2011, so I really like this signing for them.

UPDATE:  (9/4/2011) – The Rams have released Quinn Ojinnaka.

The St. Louis Rams sign 29-year old RB Cadillac Williams to a 1-year deal.  Williams played in all 16 games (9 starts) for the Buccaneers last year and he carried the ball 125 times for 437 yards (3.5 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  He also caught 46 passes for 355 yards (7.7 avg) with 1 TD grab last year.  Williams has now played in 70 games (57 starts) in his first six years in the NFL and he has carried the ball 968 times for 3,677 yards (3.8 ypc) with 20 TD runs.  He has also caught 134 passes for 909 yards (6.8 avg) with 4 TD grabs in his NFL career.  Williams will be Steven Jackson’s caddy in 2011 with Jerious Norwood operating mostly as a 3rd down back.  I love the depth the Rams now have at RB for 2011.

The Rams have signed 31-year old linebacker Brady Poppinga to a 1-year deal.  Poppinga played in 6 games for the Packers last season and he had 14 tackles and 1 sack.  Poppinga has now played in 81 games in his first six years in the NFL and he has 244 tackles, 8 tackles for a loss, 5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 7 passes defensed and 2 interceptions.  This was a good signing for the Rams as Poppinga is a solid linebacker when he’s healthy.

The Rams have signed 28-year old RB Jerious Norwood to a 1-year deal.  Norwood played in 2 games (0 starts) for the Falcons last year in which he carried the ball 2 times for 8 yards (4.0 ypc) and he also caught 1 pass for 9 yards.  Norwood also returned 4 kickoffs for 97 yards (24.3 avg) for the Falcons last year.  Norwood has now played in 57 games (6 starts) in his first five years in the NFL and he has carried the ball 375 times for 1,995 yards (5.3 ypc) with 7 TD carries.  Norwood also has caught 96 passes for 912 yards (9.5 avg) with 3 TD grabs and he has returned 121 kickoffs for 3,084 yards (25.5 avg) so far in his NFL career.  Norwood will be able to give Steven Jackson a breather when he needs one this year, so I really like this signing for the Rams.

The Rams have signed 32-year old DT/DE Justin Bannan.  Bannan played in all 16 games for the Broncos last year and he had 35 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble and 4 passes defensed.  He has now played in 129 games in his first 9 years in the NFL and he has 238 tackles, 15 tackles for a loss, 6.5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, 7 passes defensed and 1 interception.  Bannan is likely with the Rams because of offensive co-ordinator Josh McDaniels who was his head coach for a huge portion of the 2010 season.  Now it’s up to Bannan to justify McDaniels’ faith in him.

The Rams have signed 30-year old offensive guard Harvey Dahl.  Dahl played in 16 games (all starts) for the Falcons last season.  He has now played in 48 games (43 starts) in his first six years in the NFL.  Dahl will likely slide right into the starting lineup for the Rams.  This was a good signing for the Rams as Dahl is a pretty solid guard who will make Sam Bradford sleep a little better at night.

The Rams have signed 26-year old linebacker Zac Diles to a 1-year deal.  Diles played in 15 games for the Texans last year and he had 82 tackles and 4 tackles for a loss.  Diles has now played in 50 games in his first four years in the NFL and he has 223 tackles, 15 tackles for a loss, 1 sack, 3 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, 1 interceptions and 3 passes defensed.  This was a solid pickup for the Rams as Diles should be able to help the defense some.

UPDATE:  (9/4/2011) – The Rams have released Zac Diles.

The Rams have signed 26-year old WR Mike Sims-Walker to a 1-year deal.  Sims-Walker played in 14 games (13 starts) for the Jaguars last year and he caught 43 passes for 562 yards (13.1 avg) with 7 TD grabs.  Sims-Walker has now played in 38 games (28 starts) in his first three years in the NFL and he has caught 122 passes for 1,648 yards (13.5 avg) with 14 TD grabs.  This was a good signing for the Rams as Sims-Walker still has a nice upside and he will likely enjoy playing catch with Sam Bradford.

The St. Louis Rams have signed 36-year old cornerback Al Harris.  Harris played in 3 games for the Dolphins last year and he had 3 tackles.  Harris has now played in 185 games in his first 13 years in the NFL and he has 453 tackles, 5 tackles for a loss, 4 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, 142 passes defensed and 21 interceptions (3 returned for TDs).  The Rams hope that Harris can stay healthy because he’s still pretty good when he is.