Dils, Millen, Evans Cut as Rams Walk Tightrope

Once again, the Rams went tightrope walking on the league’s waiver wire Monday as they juggled their roster to get down to today’s mandatory 47-player limit.

There were risks involved; Donald Evans, a former top draft choice, was released, and there were promises for more changes ahead.

The team made 14 moves in all, some complicated, others more clear-cut.

For starters, the Rams released reserve quarterbacks Steve Dils and Hugh Millen. Millen, who had the misfortune of being a young quarterback on a team with young Jim Everett, was quickly picked up by the Atlanta Falcons.

The Rams are hoping that Dils will clear waivers and rejoin the team today. Just in case, the Rams are working out Mark Herrmann, released last week by the Indianapolis Colts.

“If Dils and Millen are picked up, Mark Herrmann’s workout might be extended,” Coach John Robinson said.

Dils was surprised by his release, learning of it only Monday morning when he arrived at Rams Park. He understands the business of roster jockeying, so he will wait nervously and hope, strangely, that no other team has an interest in him.

“There’s some logic in there somewhere,” Dils said. “I’d like to think I have some value but, obviously, I think my real value is to the Rams. I hope I won’t get picked up.”

Dils, at least, is not alone. Last year, veteran fullback Mike Guman was released and then recalled. Tailback Charles White has cleared waivers twice with the Rams.

The other news of the day was the expected release of Evans, the team’s first pick of 1987 who could not make the transition from defensive end to fullback.

“It’s nothing personal,” Evans said Monday before heading home to Winston-Salem, N.C. “It’s just business.”

Evans was the 47th overall pick in the 1987 draft, and the Rams had hoped he would be their pass rusher of the future. But Evans signed late, never caught on at defensive end and was moved to fullback midway through last season in an attempt to salvage his career and save face for the organization.

The youngest of 16 children, Evans dropped nearly 40 pounds in the off-season in a diligent attempt to shape himself into a fullback. But he never really had a chance, especially with the emergence of fifth-round pick Robert Delpino and the return of Buford McGee, injured much of last year.

“Don Evans probably is the saddest case,” Robinson said. “Don had both injury and a serious flu that kept him off the practice field for two weeks. That (practice) is what he desperately needed.

“I would like to have Don back next year. I think there’s something there. It’s just a lack of experience. Don did a great job getting ready to play and doing what he had to do. Too bad he just didn’t quite get it done.”

Besides Evans, the Rams also released linebackers Richard Brown and James Seawright, defensive end Ross Browner, guard David Diaz-Infante, wide receiver Darryl Franklin and punter Scott Tabor.

In other moves with long-range implications, the Rams put Guman, linebacker Jim Collins, cornerback Clifford Hicks, tackle R. C. Mullin and linebacker Doug Bartlett on injured reserve. Collins and Guman have knee injuries, Hicks a broken leg, Mullin a bad back and Bartlett an elbow injury.

According to Robinson, Bartlett will be released as soon as he recovers. Mullin figures to be a long-term project.

The more interesting moves will come with Collins, Guman and Hicks, who can’t return to the roster for six weeks because they were put on injured reserve before today’s final cutdown.

Players put on the list after today can return in four weeks.

Guman and Collins, both starters, are recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery. Hicks, a valuable player in the team’s nickel defense, suffered a broken leg in last Friday night’s win over the San Diego Chargers.

The risk in putting all three on injured reserve now is that the Rams have only two free moves to recall those players, meaning that one will have to clear league waivers before returning to the roster.

“We will be at risk bringing them back,” Robinson said. “But people in that circumstance, well, we felt like we could take the risk.”

Others could construe it as a sentence to purgatory for Guman or Collins, two veterans with chronic knee problems.

“Six weeks from now is like an eternity,” Robinson said. “I’m not going to respond to a question that says the Rams don’t give a crap about so-and-so because this is what they’re going to do in six weeks. You won’t be able to quote me on that. That’s not fair.”

The Rams also gambled and kept punter Dale Hatcher on the active roster, at least for now. Hatcher, who had minor knee surgery during the first week in camp, is trying to get back for Sunday’s opener against the Green Bay Packers.

It didn’t look good after Monday’s practice, though.

“It’s pretty sore,” Hatcher said of the left knee, his plant leg on punts. “I don’t feel like I’ll be ready Sunday. (Robinson) said we’ll see how it goes Wednesday.”

Again, just in case, the Rams are working out free agent Maury Buford and will decide about Hatcher later this week.

Ram Notes

Coach John Robinson left a crack in the door open for quarterback Marc Wilson, the former Raider who was released by the Green Bay Packers. “We’d be interested in working him out,” Robinson said. . . . Because the Rams released both backup quarterbacks, Jim Everett had to go it alone at Monday’s practice. “I’m sure it will be resolved by Wednesday,” Everett said.

If Steve Dils clears waivers and returns today, the Rams will make room for him by putting special teams player Tim Tyrrell (hamstring) on injured reserve. . . . Hugh Millen took his release in stride. “It was out of my control,” he said. “There’s nothing profound to say for a guy who threw one (regular-season) pass in a game. I’m not going to make headlines.” The 24-year-old Millen, frustrated in knowing he might never play for the Rams as long as Everett is around, heads into a similar situation in Atlanta, where second-year quarterback Chris Miller is the starter.

Monday’s early roster winner appears to be linebacker Brett Faryniarz, who made the team as a free agent from San Diego State.