The Rams have placed 26-year old WR Donnie Avery on the Injured Reserve List after tearing his ACL against the Patriots on Thursday Night.  Avery will be missed as he was the Rams’ leading receiver in 2009.  Avery has played in 31 games in his two seasons with the Rams and he has caught 100 passes for 1,263 (12.6 avg) with 8 TD grabs.  He also has carried the ball 14 times for 99 yards (7.1 ypc) with 1 TD run.  The Rams couldn’t afford this type of injury as Avery is the best receiver on the team.  It will be interesting to see who steps up.

The Rams have signed 32-year old DT Chris Hovan.  Hovan played in all 16 games for the Bucs last season and he had 33 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and a 1/2 a sack.  Hovan has now played in 156 games in his NFL career and he has made 408 tackles, he defensed 15 passes, he has 22 sacks and he has forced 2 fumbles.  This was a good signing for the Rams as Hovan might still have something left to offer.

UPDATE:  (8/7/2010) - The Rams have placed Chris Hovan on the Injured Reserve List because of a back injury. 

The Rams have lost 25-year old G/C Mark Setterstrom for the rest of the year with torn triceps.  He has played in 9 games (3 starts) for the Rams this season.  In his three years with the Rams, Setterstrom has played in 19 games (12 starts).  The Rams will miss him as he was starting at RG at the time of his injury.

The Rams will be without 26-year old TE Daniel Fells for the rest of the year due to a sprained knee ligament and a fractured thigh bone right above his right knee.  Fells played in 14 games for the Rams this season and he caught 21 passes for 273 yards (13.0 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  Fells really played well this season to solidify his position with the Rams for the future and they will miss him the last couple of weeks.

The Rams have lost starting safety O.J. Atogwe for the rest of the year due to a torn labrum and a dislocated shoulder.  Atogwe played in all 12 games for the Rams this season and he had 74 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss, 1 sack, 3 passes defensed and 2 interceptions.  It will be interesting to see if the Rams bring back the 28-year old Atogwe next season as he will become a free agent at the end of the year.  Atogwe has played in 72 games in his 5 years with the Rams and he has made 320 tackles, defensed 33 passes, forced 14 fumbles, has 2 sacks and he has intercepted 19 passes (one returned for a TD).  The Rams would be smart to bring back Atogwe next season and beyond and they will miss him the rest of this year.