Wide receiver Danario Alexander didn't show enough in just five practices with the Rams to earn a spot on the 53-man roster. But following his release Saturday, indications are that the Rams hope to sign him to their eight-man practice squad.

Alexander, the former University of Missouri standout, was among 20 players released by the team Friday and Saturday.

In addition, safety Kevin Payne and offensive tackle Eric Young were placed on the injured reserve list because of knee injuries suffered in Thursday's preseason finale against Baltimore.

Those 22 roster moves — the 20 cuts and two IR designations — got the Rams down from 75 to 53 players by Saturday's 5 p.m. (St. Louis time) deadline. The team undoubtedly will scan the waiver wire for additional talent, so the current 53-man roster certainly isn't set in stone.

There were a few mild surprises among the rest of the Rams' cuts, but nothing that would qualify as a shocker. Defensive end Victor Adeyanju, who started 26 games in four seasons with the Rams, was among those released. So was linebacker Bobby Carpenter, acquired in the trade that sent offensive tackle Alex Barron to Dallas.

Cornerback Quincy Butler, who started seven games for the Rams last season, is gone. So is Roger Allen III, who flashed starting potential at offensive guard last season before a late-season knee injury. Chris Ogbonnaya, who entered camp as the favorite for the No. 2 running back spot behind Steven Jackson, was cut. The current backups are Kenneth Darby and Keith Toston.

At quarterback, Thaddeus Lewis beat out Keith Null for the No. 3 quarterback job behind Sam Bradford and A.J. Feeley. Although Null was sharp against the Ravens, it was hard for Spagnuolo and the staff to ignore Lewis' body of work over the entire preseason.

Lewis "certainly earned it," Spagnuolo said. "I love Keith Null, and this part is really, really hard, and I do wish him the best. But Thad, and A.J. and Sam is the way we're going to go and we feel good about it."

Toston and Lewis are among five undrafted rookies to survive Saturday's cuts. The others are defensive tackle Jermelle Cudjo, safety Darian Stewart and wide receiver Dominique Curry.

Nine of the Rams' 11 draft picks from last April survived the cut to 53. The only draft pick released over the weekend was seventh-round cornerback Marquis Johnson. (Fifth-round defensive end Hall Davis was traded to Washington last week.)

Following Saturday's roster moves, the Rams had six wide receivers on the active roster and four tight ends. The only tight end released was Darcy Johnson. Tackle Renardo Foster was among only eight offensive lineman kept, but the Rams are still looking for depth at that position.

On the other side of the ball, Spagnuolo makes no secret of the fact that he likes collecting defensive linemen. For the second year in a row, the Rams ended the initial cut to 53 with 10 defensive linemen on their roster (Most teams keep eight.)

Here is the complete list of cuts.

• On offense: Alexander, Allen, D. Johnson, Null and Ogbonnaya; FB Dennis Morris; WRs Jordan Kent and Brandon McRae; OT Ryan McKee; and Cs Tim Mattran and Drew Miller.

• On defense, Adeyanju, Carpenter and M. Johnson; DT Ernest Reid; LBs Devin Bishop and Cardia Jackson; S Brett Johnson; and CBs Quincy Butler and Antoine Thompson.

The day also included reports that the team was interested in trading for San Diego wide receiver Vincent Jackson. Team sources said the topic was discussed internally but indicated that any trade for Jackson was a no-go.