St. Louis has signed 3 veterans at position
Brad Biggs
Print ThisSend ThisAugust 12, 2011, 01:05 PM EST
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The St. Louis Rams made the move they’d been rumored to be pursuing for a week when they officially signed linebacker Ben Leber.

The newcomer is expected to become the starter on the strong side for the Rams, who made room for Leber by informing David Vobora he will be released this morning. It’s a tough break for Vobora, who during the offseason won his court battle against the manufacturer of a supplement that led to him failing a drug test. It was a huge victory for Vobora in clearing his name.

Leber, the third linebacker the Rams have added in free agent, receives a $1.25 million, one-year contract. He joins Zach Diles, a versatile performer, and Brady Poppinga as St. Louis clearly strives to revamp its starting unit around middle linebacker James Laurinaitis.

“What you hope for, and I think all head coaches hope for this, when you get to the 53 (man roster) you hope you have some hard decisions to make," Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo said, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "But you've got to keep guys healthy."

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Brad Biggs covers the Bears for the Chicago Tribune