Rams Sign Fox to Bolster Secondary

The Rams acquired former All-Pro safety Tim Fox on Thursday to bolster their banged-up secondary before Sunday’s game at Atlanta.

Starting safeties Johnnie Johnson and Nolan Cromwell have minor injuries, and backup Eric Harris is on injured reserve with an inflamed disc. Vince Newsome is the only other backup safety.

Fox, who played the first of his nine National Football League seasons with the New England Patriots, was released by the Chargers last summer after signing a guaranteed contract worth $291,500. The Rams will take over the payments for the last six weeks of the season.

“This is certainly the situation I’d hoped for, that a team bound for the playoffs would have trouble in the secondary and I could come in and play,” Fox, 32, said after practice. “(Ram defensive coordinator) Fritz Shurmur was my coordinator at New England and they’re using the same stuff.”

Ram Coach John Robinson said Fox will be the seventh defensive back and will be used only if Johnson (hamstring) and Cromwell (ankle) can’t play. Otherwise, fox will be used on special teams.

“I don’t care,” Fox said. “I want to play. I’ll play anywhere.”

Fox, a communications graduate of Ohio State, was the Patriots’ first-round draft choice in 1976. He played in the 1980 Pro Bowl and has 24 career interceptions.

He missed two games in ’83 and five in ’84 with a fractured ankle that required surgery three times.