NFL Free Agent Signings: Jerious Norwood to the St. Louis Rams

Let the speculation come to an end. The St. Louis Rams have reached an agreement with free-agent running back Jerious Norwood reports John Clayton via Twitter, "J. Norwood to the Rams. Jason Snelling still available."

Many people thought that the Rams would target either Ronnie Brown or Jason Snelling to be their No. 2 running back, but over the last couple days reports that the team was targeting Jerious Norwood picked up. After Ronnie Brown went out of the picture earlier today as he signed with the Philadelphia Eagles, it appeared that one of the former Falcons would be going to St. Louis.

Jason Snelling was the more attractive options for most teams around the league due to his consistency as the No. 2 behind Michael Turner while he was in Atlanta. Snelling was a very good runner and receiver with the Falcons and served well whenever Turner was injured.

There must have been something the Rams noticed in Jerious Norwood to make him the choice over Jason Snelling. Norwood is more of a speed back than Snelling, but he is recovering from a torn ACL that he suffered in the second game of the 2010 season. The year prior he also injured his hip.

The Rams must be pretty confident in Steven Jackson's ability to remain healthy if they decided to invest in more of a pure third-down back. Jackson has been banged up over the past couple seasons which lead many people to believe that the Rams might target a guy who could carry the ball around 15 times a game. 

If Norwood turns out to be completely recovered from his torn ACL then he could be a very good signing for the Rams. He could turn out to be the perfect spell back for Steven Jackson, and he could bring a lot of excitement to the St. Louis Rams organization.