St. Louis Rams Complete First Cutdown, Release Doug Worthington and Keshaun Malone
The St. Louis Rams had made 12 transactions on Monday, which reduced their roster to 77 players in advance of the NFL’s mandatory cutdown to 75 players on Tuesday. Thus, they still had two moves to make, and they made those decisions on Tuesday morning, releasing defensive tackle Doug Worthington and linebacker Keshaun Malone to reach the 75-player maximum.
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The 28-year-old Worthington, who was beginning his sixth NFL season, had been with the team since joining the practice squad in mid-December of 2014. Earlier this offseason, the 6-foot-5, 318-pounder was viewed as a possible candidate for the Rams’ fourth defensive tackle spot. However, he missed nearly all of training camp with an unspecified injury and failed to get on the field for any preseason games. During that time, two players, converted defensive end Ethan Westbrooks and undrafted rookie Louis Trinca-Pasat, moved firmly ahead of him in the race for a job. The Rams also have veteran Marcus Forston on the roster, so those three players will continue competing for what is likely to be one final defensive tackle spot behind Michael Brockers, Aaron Donald, and Nick Fairley.
The 6-foot-2, 260-pound Malone was signed as an undrafted free agent this spring out of Bacone College, a small NAIA program in Muskogee, Oklahoma. Interestingly, Malone was the second player the Rams had brought in from Bacone in as many years; undrafted rookie defensive tackle Deantre Harlan was in camp with the team last summer. Malone recorded three tackles through the first three weeks of the preseason, but realistically, he never had much of a chance of cracking the 53-man roster, with guys like James Laurinaitis, Alec Ogletree, Akeem Ayers, Jo-Lonn Dunbar, and Daren Bates already locked into jobs and more high-profile players such as Marshall McFadden and Bryce Hager competing for spots.