St. Louis Rams: News and Notes at Noon (Free Agency Edition)

Welcome to Wednesday's "News and Notes at Noon," the one-stop rundown on all major Rams headlines and related information. 

As most of you know by now, the 2012 NFL free-agency period is in full swing.  The Rams swung hard on day one and landed cornerback Cortland Finnegan of the Tennessee Titans. 

Finnegan played for St. Louis head coach Jeff Fisher and secondary coach Chuck Cecil in Tennessee. Under the tutelage of both, Finnegan had his best season yet. Following the 2008 season, Finnegan was named to the AFC Pro Bowl squad. 

With the tough Finnegan in place, the Rams defense instantly got a little nastier.  I will write more on this down the road, but the Rams will field a hard-nosed and physical group of corners in 2012. 

St. Louis will return third-round draft pick Jerome Murphy this season, too.  Last year, he suffered a season-ending ankle injury during the offseason. 

Murphy is known as a tough player and a strong hitter himself.  With Murphy and Finnegan on the field, the Rams will field one of the the tougher corner groups in the league. 

I interacted with Murphy earlier this year and spoke with his collegiate defensive back coach.  Murphy is said to be looking great.  If you missed the detailed piece on the returning DB, and how much size he has been said to have put on in the offseason, please look here. 

In other Rams free-agent news, St. Louis is targeting another former Fisher player, Jason Jones of Tennessee, according to this from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Jones excelled under Fisher for the Titans at defensive tackle.  Last season, Jones played out of position and defensive end and his play fell off a bit. 

Jones is a good pass rusher from the DT position and would be a great fit here along the line with Chris Long and Robert Quinn.  If the Rams land Jones, look for them to pursue a big run-stuffer in the draft like Dontari Poe or Alameda Ta'amu.

A deal for Jones could come as early as today.

According to Rams beat writer Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Rams perhaps came close to signing Jones last night, according to the following tweet from yesterday:

"Jim Thomas‏ @jthom1 Follow

Deal with another Titan, defensive lineman Jason Jones, could also get done tonight by Rams.

"

Ron Clements of cbssports.com shares a report that the Rams are interested in former Detroit Lions quarterback Shaun Hill and Green Bay defensive back Jarrett Bush. 

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Rams are one of three teams who will receive visits from former Houston Texans right tackle Eric Winston: 

"Adam Schefter‏ @AdamSchefter Follow

Former Texans OT Eric Winston has visits lined up with the Dolphins, Chiefs and Rams.

"

If the Rams were to land Winston, it could spell the end for 2009 No. 2 pick Jason Smith or the certainty of a pay cut, which has been reported as an option. 

On the other hand, the Rams recently said they would like to have Smith back, as reported by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 

An alternative option that some feel would be legitimate and others do not would be an offseason trial run at guard for Smith. 

Smith is a powerful man who sometimes struggles in space.  A move to guard and the tight quarters there could theoretically help him. 

It will be interesting to see what transpires if St. Louis ultimately signs Winston.

Finally, Turf Show Times reports that Jeff Fisher said that their is, "a lot of talent" at the wide receiver position amongst the prospects available for the 2012 NFL draft during the Rams press conference held earlier today. 

The aforementioned report also asserts that their are some free-agent wide receivers still available that are on the Rams radar, according to Fisher. 

Keep it here for the latest on the Rams moves and possibilities in free agency.

Have a great day, STL Rams nation. 

Shane Gray covers the St. Louis Rams year-round. You are encouraged to check out the rest of his work here and to follow him on Twitter.