PRO FOOTBALL / DAILY REPORT : RAMS : Lofton Is Latest New Receiver

Wide receiver James Lofton, cut by the Raiders last month, signed with the Rams after a workout Wednesday morning.

Lofton, 37, a 16-year veteran who played in the last three Super Bowls with Buffalo, had missed a tryout with the Rams last May because of a scheduling mistake.

“I had come down here earlier but we kind of got the days mixed up,” he said. “I was here a week too early.”

Instead, he signed with the Raiders, who cut him Aug. 30 when they trimmed their roster to 47 players.

“I thought I had a good camp,” Lofton said. “The Raiders had some talented guys who they wanted to keep, and I just got caught in a situation where they were only going to keep one veteran backup, and that was Willie Gault.”

The Rams cut wide receiver Tony Hargain to make room on the roster for Lofton. Coach Chuck Knox said he hasn’t decided whether to activate Lofton for Sunday’s game at Houston.

Lofton, who caught 51 passes for 786 yards last season, is the third wide receiver the Rams have brought in since August. They traded for former Phoenix receiver Ernie Jones and former Raider Sam Graddy, whom they cut before the season.

Before signing, Lofton joked with reporters that he was negotiating a contract in the range of Wayne Gretzky’s new three-year, $25.5-million deal with the Kings.

“They were Gretzky-type numbers,” Lofton said after the deal. “Remember that ‘point-five’ in his contract? I’m making a little less than that.”

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The Rams cut Don Bracken, the NFL’s lowest-ranked punter, and signed Paul McJulien.

Ram special team coach Howard Tippett coached Bracken and McJulien in Green Bay.

“We weren’t satisfied with the punting game and we made a change,” Knox said. “With Bracken, it seemed he just didn’t have that thump in his leg any more. He realized that.”

Bracken had averaged 38.3 yards in 17 punts this season.

McJulien, who was with Kansas City briefly last season, averaged 40.4 yards in 86 punts for Green Bay in 1991.

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Cornerback Robert Bailey returned to practice after missing Monday with an excused absence. . . . Injury report: Wide receiver Todd Kinchen (knee), tight end Pat Carter (foot) and running back David Lang (knee) will be sidelined for Sunday’s game. Linebacker Henry Rolling (thumb) is questionable.