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St. Louis Rams defensive end Anthony Hargrove, who went missing for two days last week, will return to practice this week for next Sunday's game against the Detroit Lions.

	Hargrove

But it won't be as a starter.

First-year coach Scott Linehan on Monday apprised Hargrove, who is believed to have lost $40,000 as a result of his unexcused absences from the Thursday and Friday practices, that he has lost his job as the Rams' starting right end as well. Hargrove, a three-year veteran, was informed of the decision during a 30-minute meeting with his head coach.

Rookie Victor Adeyanju, a fourth-round draft pick from Indiana who started at Hargrove's position in Sunday's victory at Arizona, will remain in the lineup.

"He has to work his way back into the lineup," Linehan said, referring to Hargrove. "Tony now has to re-establish himself. He took a step back. He has to earn some respect back with his teammates."

Hargrove, 23, missed all of the Thursday practice and did not contact the team. Rams officials attempted frantically for much of Thursday to reach him and were forced, at one point, to contact police officials in the St. Louis suburb where Hargrove lives, to seek their assistance. Hargrove arrived at the team complex on Friday, but well after practice had begun, and stayed only a short time.

Beyond indicating that he was dealing with a personal issue, Hargrove has not issued a statement about his absences, and his agent has not commented, either. The former Georgia Tech standout, a third-round pick in 2003 who started 15 games in 2005, had started the first two contests of this season and registered three tackles and one-half sack.

It is believed that the Rams fined Hargrove $20,000 for each day he missed practices and team meetings, the maximum permitted under the collective bargaining agreement. Hargrove must also apologize to his teammates as one of the conditions of his return. He did not make the trip to Arizona over the weekend, but Linehan declined to say if he had suspended Hargrove for that contest.

If he did, it would cost Hargrove a game check, or an additional $25,000, based on his $425,000 salary.

Whether the Rams dress Hargrove for Sunday's home game with the Lions remains to be seen and might depend on how well he practices this week. Hargrove was said to have been contrite in his Monday meeting with Linehan.

In his first NFL start, Adeyanju posted six tackles on Sunday, tying for the team high.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com. To check out Len's chat archive, click here .