The St. Louis Rams signed former Heisman Trophy winner Chris Weinke to be their new quarterbacks coach, according to multiple reports Thursday.

Weinke, a former Florida State quarterback who was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in 2001, has no NFL coaching experience. Weinke, 42, has been developing young players — and quarterbacks — since 2010 as the director of the IMG Madden Football Academy in Bradenton, Fla. He worked with quarterback Cam Newton prior to his rookie year with the Panthers in 2011.

According to reports, Rams coach Jeff Fisher also interviewed former 49ers quarterback Jeff Garcia for the job, which opened up when the team promoted Frank Cignetti to offensive coordinator.

–The Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced they hired Duke Preston as the team’s director of player development.

Preston comes to Tampa Bay from Notre Dame, where he was director of player development.

— Reserve offensive lineman Dallas Reynolds signed a one-year deal with the New York Giants. Reynolds, 30, was set to become an unrestricted free agent next month.

–The Seattle Seahawks continue to plot their offseason course with no concrete idea if Beast Mode will be lining up in the backfield in 2015.

General manager John Schneider said he continues to be in communication with Marshawn Lynch’s representatives, but does not know if the running back will return for another season.

–Cleveland Browns general manager Ray Farmer said there is no relationship mending to be done with head coach Mike Pettine.

“We’re moving full steam ahead,” Farmer said at the NFL Scouting Combine of the ongoing NFL investigation into his in-game texting to coaches which violated league rules. “It’s not an excuse … but sometimes emotions get the best of you.”

Farmer said the organization is healthy. He said he has a great relationship with Pettine, who said Wednesday the team has collectively put the incident behind them.

–To win in the NFC West, Arizona Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians believes a bell-cow running back is a requirement.

Arians still views Andre Ellington as a feature back even after a foot injury kept him out for multiple practices every week, curbed his production — 55 yards per game and 660 rushing yards on 201 carries — before he wound up on injured reserve to end the season.

–It appears increasingly likely that Trent Richardson has played his final down for the Indianapolis Colts.

Asked twice about the embattled running back at the Scouting Combine on Thursday, Colts general manager Ryan Grigson declined to specifically address Richardson’s future with the team.

“Those are team decisions and we’ll have those in house. We’ll look at everything,” was as close to an answer as could be pressed out of Grigson.

–Jim Tomsula’s first try at an introductory press conference in January, when he was officially named head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, was a disaster, he admitted.

“I didn’t do a good job,” said Tomsula Thursday.

Tomsula is angling to keep veteran running back Frank Gore, one of the veteran leaders on the offensive side.

–To begin bolstering the quarterback position, Houston Texans head coach Bill O’Brien said bringing back unrestricted free agent Ryan Mallett is his first choice.

Mallett, 26, played only two games, replacing Ryan Fitzpatrick as the starter, before he was placed on injured reserve with a torn pectoral muscle.

–The Pittsburgh Steelers have a number of decisions to make before the start of free agency and the new NFL year March 10, but the Steelers already have made a big one.

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s contract extension talks are underway and are expected to be completed before too long.

“There is no timetable,” general manager Kevin Colbert said at the NFL Scouting Combine. “We will continue to work on it and hopefully get something done sooner than later.”

–Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Lovie Smith said, based on what he knows, he would have no trouble using the No. 1 pick in the draft on Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston and making him the face of the franchise.

“Let’s talk about the elephant in the room,” Smith said during a meeting in his room at the Conrad Hotel with three writers who cover the team. “He’s been accused of a crime. There’s an allegation. He went through our court system. I have faith in our court system. He went through it. He went through the school justice system. He was cleared. He went through our court system and he was cleared. Exonerated. So what else can you do?

“That’s what we have to go on. We’ve done a lot of research. We’re going to do a lot more research on both guys. But from what I know right now, yeah, we’re OK with where he is.”