Dahl inks 4-year deal with Rams

Former Fallon and Nevada offensive lineman Harvey Dahl has agreed to a four-year contract with the St. Louis Rams.

Dahl declined to disclose the terms of the contract, but said he was excited to sign with St. Louis. He was on his way to St. Louis to sign the deal when he spoke with the LVN. Today is the first day NFL free agents are allowed to sign contracts.

However, Dahl said he can't participate in practice until the NFL players union ratifies the new collective bargaining agreement.

Dahl, 30, spent the past four seasons with the Atlanta Falcons. He was undrafted out of Nevada in 2005 before signing with the Dallas Cowboys. Dahl was cut by the Cowboys in 2005 and signed with San Francisco and played with the 49ers for two years.

Dahl (6 foot, 5 inches, 303 pounds) helped pave the way for the Falcons rushing attack the past several years and has allowed five sacks in the past 43 games. Dahl became a mainstay on the Falcons' line in 2008, starting 16 games at right guard and again last year.

He started the first 11 games of the 2009 season before an injury forced him to miss the final five games of the season.

Dahl was considered one of the top free agents this offseason. Peter King of Sports Illustrated ranked Dahl as the No. 19 top free agent.

However, Atlanta wasn't able to retain Dahl because of salary cap restrictions and the resigning of tackle Tyson Clabo.

The Rams finished last year with a 7-9 overall record and missed the playoffs through a tiebreaker with Seattle. St. Louis returns NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year quarterback Sam Bradford and former Pro Bowl running back Steven Jackson.

St. Louis is part of the NFC West Division along with San Francisco, Arizona and Seattle. The Rams play at San Francisco Dec. 4 at 1:15 p.m. and will be televised on FOX.