The St. Louis Rams were without Adam Archuleta for the entirety of the 2004 season after the safety was diagnosed with a herniated disc in his back. Now he is back on the field and ready to prove himself again. "Absolutely," Archuleta said. "I have to prove myself to me, to my teammates and everybody. ... I had a down year last year. There were a lot of things going on - on and off the field. So I have a pretty fresh attitude, and I feel good physically. I think this is going to be a great year."

The Rams and guard Tom Nutten have agreed to a one-year contract. Nutten came out of retirement last season to play eight games for St. Louis, six as a starter at left guard, after the team was hit hard by injuries to the offensive line during the preseason. He played for the Rams from 1998 through 2002 before signing with the New York Jets as a free agent in 2003. He retired prior to the start of that season due to injuries. Nutten has started 63 of the 69 games in which he has played.

The St. Louis Rams signed quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, their seventh-round selection out of Harvard, on Monday. "I was real excited when I heard St. Louis was going to call my name," said Fitzpatrick, a 6-foot-2, 221-pound righthander who grew up in Gilbert, Ariz. On Sunday, he agreed to a three-year contract with the team. Financial terms were not disclosed. His agent, Kyle Rote Jr., did not return a phone message.

The St. Louis Rams signed fourth-round pick Claude Terrell to a three-year contract on Saturday. Terrell, the guard from University of New Mexico, was the Rams' second pick in the fourth round (134th overall).

The St. Louis Rams added seventh-round pick Madison Hedgecock on Thursday, signing the fullback to a three-year contract. Hedgecock (6 feet 3, 266) was the Rams' final choice in the draft, their second pick in the seventh round (No. 251 overall). He played at North Carolina under former Rams assistant John Bunting.