 In 1997, he competed with Clay Shiver for the starting center position that was left open with the release of Ray Donaldson, but he ended up as the backup and started 4 games at left guard.On April 1st, 1998, he was signed as a free agent by the St. Louis Rams and was named the starter at center.The next year, he was placed on the injured reserve list, in a season the team went on to win Super Bowl XXXIV.