WEDNESDAY, June 8: Bailey has officially cleared waivers and will revert to the team’s non-football injury list, according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
TUESDAY, June 7: The Rams have waived receiver Stedman Bailey with a non-football injury designation, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Bailey, of course, is still recovering after being shot in the head last fall, and Los Angeles would like to keep the 25-year-old in the organization in a non-playing capacity.
That will only happen in Bailey clears waivers, but given that his NFL career is unlikely to resume any time soon, he is likely to go through the waiver process unclaimed. Being waived with an NFI designation is similar to being waived with an injured designation, in that the club will keep the player if he isn’t claimed by another team. As Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap explains, most players on the NFI list aren’t compensated, or are paid at a lesser rate, but it’s fair to assume that the Rams are taking care of Bailey.
Though Rams head coach Jeff Fisher has said that Bailey’s NFL career is likely finished, Bailey hasn’t been willing to accept that outcome, and has met with doctors as part of the “evaluation process” in recent months. Bailey, a former third-round pick, has been attending Los Angeles’ OTAs as a spectator, but with reports indicating that he wouldn’t be cleared for the 2016 season, it made sense for the Rams to open up his roster spot.
Los Angeles made a handful of other roster moves today, cutting defensive lineman Doug Worthington, linebacker Zach Hodges, and wide receiver Kain Colter, Wilson reports (Twitter link).
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
I really hope Jeff Fisher puts a winning team together and stays with the Rams. I’m not saying this is all him by any means, but the man is just a good person who always seems to be involved with doing the right thing.