(10:45 Update) Karney, Butler Sign On

-         The Rams continued their offseason roster reshaping on Wednesday, making deals official with fullback Mike Karney and strong safety James Butler.

-         Butler’s signing comes as no surprise as he’s been targeted from the start of free agency. He took a trip to St. Louis on opening weekend and left without a contract but both sides remained interested the whole way and the deal was finally completed.

-         Butler immediately gives the Rams another young, ascending player in a secondary that suddenly seems full of players of that ilk. The Rams re-signed Ron Bartell and placed the franchise tag on free safety Oshiomogho Atogwe. If that trio can be buoyed by a recovering Tye Hill and/or youngsters Jonathan Wade or Justin King, there’s some serious potential to have a solid secondary for a long time.

-         Perhaps nobody is happier this morning than running back Steven Jackson who, in Karney, gets a true lead blocking fullback for the first time since Madison Hedgecock departed in 2007.

-         The Karney deal is believed to be a three-year deal worth more than $3.5 million. Karney has only been in the league for five years and should still have plenty of football left in his own right.

-         It’s hard to look at the Rams’ offseason so far and think they haven’t accomplished much of what they set out to do in the free agency portion. They retained two key starters in Bartell and Atogwe and have added three starters in Karney, Butler and center Jason Brown. There’s still work to be done, including the addition of a backup quarterback which is likely to come in free agency and possibly in the coming days.

-         Other needs could be and likely will be filled through the draft though there are some other moves that could be made for depth in free agency. The Rams believe they are in good shape heading into the draft and are far from married to drafting a tackle.

-         Butler and Karney will be introduced at 11 a.m. today and we’ll have their thoughts and comments as well as any other news from around here throughout the day.