Germaine traded to Chiefs; Rams sign Jamie Martin as backup

After an 0-for-4 performance in the Rams last preseason game, backup St. Louis Rams quarterback Joe Germaine was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs for a sixth round pick. The Rams signed former Rams back-up and long-time Martz student Jamie Martin to a two-year contract. Martin had been cut earlier in the day by the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Martin, a seven-year veteran, has a better than 64 percent completion rate in the NFL, but he has been a journeyman quarterback since arriving in the League from Weber State.

Germaine, a fourth-round draft pick for the Rams three years ago, will rejoin Dick Vermeil, the coach who originally drafted him, in Kansas City.

In other Rams news, defensive safety Devin Bush was cut due to salary cap problems caused by the injury of fullback Larry Bowie, which forced the Rams to pick up his full salary for the year. If the veteran Bowie had not been injured, he was to have been cut by the Rams.

The Rams go into the season with a young but injury-plagued corp of defensive safeties.