Rams notes: Rams release RB Richardson
• By Jim Thomas
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_ff7744ea-1bb1-5c19-9e21-ac7f5752d3e8.html
From the moment the Rams drafted Auburn running back Tre Mason in Round 3 a week ago, you knew either Daryl Richardson or Isaiah Pead was in trouble.
But the competition between the two never made it to training camp. In fact, it never made it to next month’s OTA practices, because the Rams released Richardson on Thursday along with three other players: defensive tackle Jermelle Cudjo, offensive lineman Graham Pocic, and offensive tackle Emmanuel McCray.
Richardson could not be reached for comment, but late Thursday afternoon, he issued a farewell on his certified Twitter account:
”Thankful to the @STLouisRams for the opportunities they have given me & to the fans for all of your support. God bless (you) guys!”
So Pead, who was a second-round pick in the same draft that brought Richardson to St. Louis, gets an apparent reprieve. Pead has been a major disappointment in his two seasons here, particularly considering his draft status.
Nine months ago, late in training camp, Richardson was named the opening-day starter — Steven Jackson’s successor if you will. But after a strong rookie season in 2012, the seventh-rounder from Abilene Christian struggled out of the gate in 2013.
He suffered a significant turf toe injury in the season opener against Arizona and wasn’t right for the rest of the season. Because of the injury, Richardson couldn’t push off the front of the foot. It not only affected his acceleration — probably the best aspect of his game — it also made planting and cutting difficult.
Such injuries can linger forever, especially if you try to keep playing, and that was the case with Richardson. He started two of the next three games after the injury before giving way to Zac Stacy as the starter.
Even though Richardson didn’t play in the final eight games, he kept practicing most of that time. Once the offseason arrived, the Rams had Richardson stay off the foot to let it heal, with no surgery planned.
As the next-to-last player selected in the 2012 draft, the speedy Richardson was a pleasant surprise as a rookie, gaining 475 yards and averaging 4.8 yards per carry. He looked very much like a late-round steal with four carries for 20-plus yards, including a 53-yard dash in Game 2 against Washington.
But slowed by the turf toe and other assorted ailments, Richardson rushed for only 215 yards and 3.1 yards a carry last season. His longest run went for a modest 14 yards in the Rams’ Monday night game against Seattle on Oct. 28.
THE OTHER CUTS
Cudjo has been with the Rams since 2010, making the team as an undrafted rookie. He had his best season in 2012 when he registered 39 tackles and a sack and started four games. But he suffered a stress fracture in his foot last offseason and began training camp on the active/PUP list. Perhaps because of the late start, he didn’t play as well last season as a backup in the team’s defensive line rotation.
The addition of defensive tackles Alex Carrington in free agency and Aaron Donald in Round 1 (No. 13 overall) in the draft meant it would be tough for Cudjo to make the final roster. So, as was the case with Richardson, the surprise wasn’t that Cudjo was released — just that he was cut before OTAs and training camp.
Cudjo signed a two-year, $1.8 million contract in March 2013 that included a $350,000 signing bonus. The Rams must absorb half of that signing bonus ($175,000) as dead money. But Cudjo was due a $900,000 base salary this year, which now becomes cap savings.
McCray, from the University of Mississippi, had just joined the team earlier this week as an undrafted free agent. Pocic was placed on injured reserve at the end of training camp last summer because of a shoulder/labrum injury.
After Thursday’s cuts, the Rams have 86 players, or four under the offseason roster limit.