The Rams have placed linebacker Alec Ogletree on injured reserve with the designation to return, according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Due to the timing of the move, Ogletree won’t be eligible to practice until after the club’s Week 13 game, and wouldn’t be able to return to the field until Week 16.
Ogletree, 24, suffered a right ankle injury several weeks ago, and underwent surgery to repair the damage. The former first-round pick, who had started each of his first 36 career games for the Rams prior to the injury, was viewed as potentially lost for the season, but the IR-DTR slot will give him an opportunity to return down the stretch, if his recovery moves quickly.
The fact that the Rams waited three weeks to place Ogletree on IR-DTR looks like poor roster management on the surface. However, as Wagoner explains (via Twitter), St. Louis knew the linebacker’s recovery period would be longer than eight weeks, so the team was waiting to see if it would need the IR-DTR slot for anyone else.
It’s still possible that a Rams player could suffer an eight-week injury, but if that were to happen this weekend, any player receiving the IR-DTR spot next week would only be eligible to return for Week 17, so it makes sense now to pull the trigger and use it on Ogletree.
The complete breakdown of how teams have used their IR-DTR slots in 2015 can be found right here.