St. Louis Rams Agree to Terms with Veteran Cornerback Rod Hood

St. Louis Rams beat writer Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported earlier today that the Rams have come to terms with free-agent cornerback Rod Hood.

This is a response to Justin King's questionable performance against the Baltimore Ravens last Sunday. 

King was filling in as a starting corner in the place of Ron Bartell, who is out for the season with an injured neck. 

Last Sunday, King gave up three touchdowns in the first quarter alone to rookie wide receiver Torrey Smith, who was making his NFL debut with the Ravens. 

The 29-year-old Hood could be a temporary replacement for Bartell, and a permanent replacement for the overwhelmed King.

Hood started his career with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2003, where he played until 2006 under current Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo, who was the defensive backs coach (2003) and the linebacker coach (2004-2006) during Hood's time there.

Hood then played with the Arizona Cardinals for two seasons (2007, 2008) where he was a starter at cornerback during the Cardinals' 2008 Super Bowl run. He also put together the best season of his career with Arizona in 2007, racking up 57 tackles and five interceptions (both career highs).

Hood most recently played for the Tennessee Titans in 2009. He started in four out of his six games with the Titans, and made three interceptions within that short period of time. His season with Tennessee ended prematurely after he was placed on injured reserve following an ACL tear.

It's clear that Hood is not a long term solution, but it's possible that he's a better option than anyone else currently on the Rams roster.