St. Louis Rams Fill Roster Vacancy, Sign Linebacker Will Herring
After creating a vacancy on their roster Monday by releasing linebacker and core special teams contributor Ray Ray Armstrong, the St. Louis Rams filled his spot on Tuesday by signing 31-year-old linebacker Will Herring, who announced the news on his Twitter account:
Thankful to be joining the Rams Nation!! Time to work!
— Will Herring (@wherring54) October 8, 2014
Herring is a seven-year veteran who entered into the league as a fifth-round selection of the Seattle Seahawks and spent the 2007 to 2010 seasons there. He then signed with the New Orleans Saints for the 2011 season and played there until the end of 2013. Herring had a contract agreement with the Dallas Cowboys this offseason that was eventually backed out of, and he did not participate in a training camp.
During his NFL career, the 6-foot-3, 241-pound Herring was best known for his special teams work, though he also saw action from scrimmage at times. Over the course of his career, he has 144 tackles, three interceptions, and three forced fumbles.
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Perhaps the most beneficial quality that Herring had in selling himself to the Rams was his alumnus, Auburn. The SEC powerhouse, which is the alumnus of general manager Les Snead and head coach Jeff Fisher‘s son, Trent, now boasts five of its products on the Rams’ roster, including running back Tre Mason, offensive lineman Greg Robinson, linebacker Daren Bates, and practice squad wide receiver Emory Blake.
It says something about the linebacker market that the Rams were willing to bring Herring, a player over 30 who hadn’t been with a team all year, into the fold. He obviously had the edge over guys like practice squad linebacker Denicos Allen, who has been with the Rams since the start of the regular season, and Kevin Reddick, who spent several weeks on the Rams’ practice squad before being released and then subsequently signed to the San Diego Chargers’ active roster, from which he was cut on Tuesday.