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          NFL Nation

          Morning Ram-blings: Sam awaits next move

          • Nick Wagoner, ESPN Staff WriterSep 1, 2014, 08:15 AM ET
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              Nick Wagoner is an NFL reporter at ESPN. Nick has covered the San Francisco 49ers and the NFL at ESPN since 2016, having previously covered the St. Louis Rams for 12 years, including three years (2013 to 2015) at ESPN. In his 10 years with the company, Nick has led ESPN's coverage of the Niners' 2019 Super Bowl run, Colin Kaepernick's protest, the Rams making Michael Sam the first openly gay player drafted to the NFL, Sam's subsequent pursuit of a roster spot and the team's relocation and stadium saga. You can follow Nick via Twitter @nwagoner
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          EARTH CITY, Mo. -- Former St. Louis Rams defensive end Michael Sam cleared waivers Sunday and is now free to sign with any team or its practice squad.

          But signs increasingly point to the Rams' relative lack of depth at multiple positions keeping Sam from returning to St. Louis, even on the practice squad.

          According to stltoday.com's Jim Thomas, the Rams have already added six of their 10 players for the practice squad. Those players are offensive linemen Brandon Washington and Sean Hooey, defensive tackle Matt Conrath, wide receiver Justin Veltung, safety Matt Daniels and linebacker Kevin Reddick.

          As Rams coach Jeff Fisher said Sunday, though, the Rams have some need for depth at positions where they are currently light or have injuries on the roster. Adding two offensive linemen would take care of one of those needs, but even with those six names, the Rams could still use more bodies at cornerback, quarterback, receiver and linebacker.

          The team is expected to finalize its practice squad sometime Monday.

          I.C.Y.M.I.

          A roundup of Sunday's Rams stories appearing on ESPN.com. ... In the Ram-blings, we opened with our NFL Nation season preview, covering all 32 teams. ... From there, I offered a best (and likely to be wrong) guess at the Rams' practice squad. ... Next, we looked at how the Rams might continue altering the roster over the next few days. ... I discussed the shape of the Rams' offensive line as they head toward the season opener. ... Finally, we closed the day with a look at how the Rams are once again the youngest team in the league heading into the season.

          Elsewhere:

          The news story on Sam going unclaimed.

          Always worth a read, senior NFL writer John Clayton's mailbag.

          Also at stltoday.com, Thomas revisits his 10 preseason questions for the Rams.

          Columnist Bernie Miklasz writes that even though he didn't make the team, Sam's time as a Ram was still a success for all parties.

          Joe Lyons monitors the Rams' plans at quarterback.

          At 101sports.com, Kevin Wheeler projects the Rams to win eight games in 2014.