St. Louis Rams cornerback Ron Bartell and safety O.J. Atogwe didn't practice Wednesday while nursing shoulder injuries. Two other members of the secondary, cornerback Justin King and safety Craig Dahl, were limited with shoulder and knee woes.
Bartell sustained a stinger during the first half of Sunday's game at Arizona and was uncertain Wednesday whether or not he'd be able to play this weekend at New Orleans. Bartell, the Rams' top coverage cornerback, said his injury probably would be a factor for the rest of the season, but he said he felt better.
"It's one of those things: If you take a hit the wrong way or tackle somebody the wrong way, it's something that just may happen," Bartell said. "It's not something I'm going to concern myself with. If I'm able to get my strength back, I'll be out there on Sunday."
Atogwe said his shoulder was a little sore, but he would be ready to play against the Saints. Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo said King aggravated an earlier injury.
Atogwe is second on the team with 69 tackles plus two interceptions, and he has been a big factor on the blitz with two sacks and five quarterback hits.
Another cornerback, rookie Jerome Murphy, was limited with a hamstring injury. Murphy didn't play last week.
The Rams officially moved linebacker David Nixon up from the practice squad and placed linebacker Na'il Diggs goes on season-ending injured reserve. Diggs is scheduled to have surgery Friday on a torn pectoral muscle suffered last week.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
