St. Louis Rams: Does Danny Amendola's Injury Mean the Return of Donnie Avery?

With reports that Danny Amendola is likely out for the season, the St. Louis Rams will have to find another receiver to fill his void.

Unfortunately for the Rams, Mark Clayton, who may be the most reliable receiver on the roster, won't return until Week 6.

On top of that, none of the current Rams receivers performed well against the Philadelphia Eagles. Granted, the Eagles have three lockdown cornerbacks, but the number of drops was baffling.

Free-agent acquisition Mike Sims-Walker was supposed to become Sam Bradford's go-to receiver. That hasn't happened yet. He was targeted five times but caught just one ball for 5 yards.

Brandon Gibson had the most success, but that was overshadowed by his dropped passes. He is a very promising-looking player if he can solve that problem.

One of the most frustrating players in the Rams receiving corps is Danario Alexander. He shows flashes of brilliance, but he can't stay on the field. Having him on the field against the Eagles may have given Bradford the deep presence he needed.

With the lack of notable young players available at the receiver position via free agency, the Rams should look to correct their prior mistake.

Donnie Avery was far and away the standout receiver in the final two preseason games. His track record is average, but as we've seen before, you never know when the light on a young player is going to click on.

By no means am I saying that he will be the savior of the Rams receiving group, but maybe he can actually catch a pass.

Against the Eagles, St. Louis could not push the ball downfield. The Rams receivers lack speed and down-the-field play-making ability. If there's one thing Avery has, it's speed. Throughout his career with St. Louis, he has been able to be a spark plug. Even in a game when the Rams struggle to move the ball, one deep pass to Avery could swing the momentum.

If the Rams were to add Donnie Avery, they could slide him into the starting lineup almost immediately. It would send a strong message to both Gibson and Sims-Walker that mediocrity isn't good enough. Bringing back a player that they beat out in training camp to start would certainly get the point across.

With the only other free agent receivers on the market being Randy Moss and Terrell Owens, the Rams have very little to lose with Donnie Avery.

With little to no proven receivers left on the roster, St. Louis may not have a better option than to bring back Avery, who has been at least an average receiver in the past.