Concerned about an uncharacteristic lack of depth at the wide receiver position, the St. Louis Rams turned to a club that had an abundance of pass catchers for help.

	Edwards

St. Louis acquired former first-round draft choice Troy Edwards from the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday, giving up a sixth-round choice in the 2004 draft.

The move addresses a keen shortage and provides coach Mike Martz with yet another potential playmaker.

Edwards, 25, might have struggled to make a Pittsburgh roster that had a glut at the position. He should, in time, make a viable contribution in a St. Louis offense that certainly fits his skills nicely.

"I just want to play for someone who wants me,'' said Edwards, who made a combined 37 catches for no touchdowns the last two seasons. "I never felt comfortable here. Me and coach (Bill) Cowher, we just had an attitude clash. This wasn't the right situation for me. My style of play is totally different.''

A first-round choice in the 1999 draft, Edwards caught 61 passes for 714 yards and five touchdowns as a rookie, but the former Louisiana Tech star fell into disfavor with coach Bill Cowher in his second season. Over the past two years, Edwards had just 37 catches and was used primarily as a kickoff and punt returner and also on the special teams coverage units.

"It was an opportunity to add somebody that really kind of fits the mode of what we look for in a receiver,'' said Martz, whose team lost its final exhibition game 23-16 Friday night in Kansas City.

Edwards' situation became tenuous when he botched a special teams play in last year's AFC championship game, his gaffe leading to a punt return for a touchdown by New England star Troy Brown. When the Steelers drafted Antwaan Randle El in the second round this spring, and then signed former Atlanta star Terance Mathis as a free agent, his days appeared numbered.

Coach Bill Cohwer denied a few times that Edwards was on the way out, but the Steelers shopped him around the league earlier this week, and located a willing buyer in the Rams.

Edwards has two seasons remaining on his contract and the Rams will inherit those, at base salaries of $525,000 for 2002 and $600,000 for 2003.

St. Louis lost No. 3 wide receiver Az-Zahir Hakim in free agency this spring and former Indianapolis Colts backup Terrence Wilkins, acquired in a trade, is injured and will miss the first two or three regular-season games. Veteran Ricky Proehl has also been nicked in the preseason and Heisman Trophy winner Eric Crouch has struggled to make the transition from quarterback to wide receiver.

The trade made good sense for both sides and Edwards should benefit from the change of scenery. His forte is adding yards after the catch and he still has great elusiveness in the open field. For his career, he has 98 receptions for 1,212 yards and five touchdowns. Edwards has returned 48 kickoffs for a 20.8-yard average and 25 punts for an average of 9.1 yards.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report.