Category: Latest Rams news

Rams sign Micah Kiser, Earnest Brown IV and 12 others to practice squad

The Rams have signed 14 players to their practice squad, including Micah Kiser, Dont’e Deayon and rookie Earnest Brown IV.

The Los Angeles Rams waived 24 players over the last few days as they trimmed their roster down to the league limit of 53, but they were able to bring back many of them on the practice squad. The team announced on Wednesday that it has signed 14 players to its practice squad already, all of whom were with the team in camp.

Teams are allowed to carry 16 players on the practice squad this year, with the Rams being allotted 17 spots due to Max Pircher being part of the NFL’s International Player Development Program.

Pircher is among the 14 players signed on Wednesday, so the Rams have three more openings available. Here is the preliminary list of players signed by Los Angeles in the first wave of additions.

  • WR Landen Akers
  • RB Otis Anderson
  • TE Kendall Blanton
  • T Chandler Brewer
  • DE Earnest Brown IV
  • DT Marquise Copeland
  • DB Dont’e Deayon
  • G Jeremiah Kolone
  • WR J.J. Koski
  • DB Kareem Orr
  • DB Tyler Hall
  • LB Micah Kiser
  • LB Justin Lawler
  • T Max Pircher (international program)

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Rams practice squad tracker: Updates on all of LA’s signings

The Rams are building their practice squad, which can be finalized at 4 p.m. ET today. Track all of their moves here.

After setting their 53-man roster on Tuesday and going through the waiver process Wednesday, the Rams can begin setting their practice squad at 4 p.m. ET today. With Eric Banks being the only player who was claimed by another team, the Rams will have a large pool of players to choose from as they assemble their practice squad, including 23 of their own waived players from Monday and Tuesday.

They can carry up to 16 players on the practice squad, including six veterans who have accrued more than two seasons in the NFL. They also have an exempt spot reserved for Max Pircher as part of the NFL’s International Player Development Program.

We’ll be tracking all of the team’s practice squad moves here as they round out their 17-man group.

Chiefs to sign LB Christian Rozeboom to their practice squad

The Chiefs are signing Christian Rozeboom to their practice squad after he was waived by the Rams.

The Rams only had one player claimed off waivers Wednesday in Eric Banks, but they lost another to the Chiefs’ practice squad. According to Herbie Teope of the Kansas City Star, the Chiefs are signing linebacker Christian Rozeboom to their practice squad.

Rozeboom is likely a player the Rams would’ve wanted to bring back on their own practice squad, but he’s opted to sign with Kansas City. The move can’t be made official until 4 p.m. ET today.

Rozeboom stood out late in the preseason with an interception against the Broncos and has been a player the Rams liked since he signed with the team as an undrafted free agent a year ago.

Los Angeles has Kenny Young, Troy Reeder, Travin Howard and Ernest Jones on the 53-man roster, but they could use some more depth on the practice squad and Rozeboom would’ve been a nice player to have.

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Chargers claim DL Eric Banks off waivers from Rams

Eric Banks was claimed off waivers by the Chargers, making him the only Rams player to land with another team.

The Los Angeles Rams waived 24 players on Monday and Tuesday, and they all nearly made it through the waiver wire without being claimed. But Brandon Staley wouldn’t let one of his former players get away on Wednesday.

The Chargers claimed Eric Banks off waivers from the Rams, which means he’ll be added to the Chargers’ 53-man roster. He was the only player cut by the Rams to be claimed by another team, which is good news for Los Angeles.

That means the other 23 players will all be eligible for the practice squad as the Rams work to assemble their 16-man group.

The Rams weren’t awarded any waiver claims, though it’s unclear if they submitted a claim for anyone. They can begin signing players to their practice squad on Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET.

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Matthew Stafford will do everything he can to help Sony Michel get up to speed

Matthew Stafford is excited to have Sony Michel in L.A. and will do what he can to help the former Patriots RB.

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No position group on the Rams’ roster has suffered more injuries than running back this summer. Cam Akers tore his Achilles, Raymond Calais fractured his foot and now Xavier Jones needs surgery to repair an Achilles injury of his own.

Darrell Henderson Jr. has had his share of minor injuries, too, all leading to the Rams acquiring Sony Michel in a trade with the Patriots. He adds much-needed depth at the position and is one of three running backs on the roster, with Henderson and Jake Funk being the others.

Michel’s role hasn’t been clearly defined, but he’s still getting up to speed with his new team after the trade went down just last week. Matthew Stafford is still getting acclimated himself after joining the Rams this offseason, too, but he’s going to help Michel any way he can.

“He’s just an experienced back. He has played in big-time football in college, big-time football in the pros, played in huge games,” Stafford said Tuesday. “He’s an experienced guy. He understands what it takes to perform at a high level, in the NFL. So, I’m excited to have him. He has got a lot to learn. He knows that, and then I’m going to do everything I can to work with him – whether it’s extra meetings or whatever – just to try to get him up to speed so he can be somebody that helps us out on game day.”

Michel will probably start the season as the Rams’ No. 2 running back until he has a firm grasp of the offense. Henderson should get the bulk of the carries early on, but the Rams didn’t trade two picks for Michel just to have him sit on the bench.

He’ll carve out a role as a between-the-tackles runner and possibly a red zone back, given his physicality and ability to get into the end zone.

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Projecting Rams’ depth chart with initial 53-man roster set

The Rams have set their initial 53-man roster, so we’ve gone ahead and projected the depth chart at each position.

Now that final cuts have been made across the NFL, we’ve gained some clarity about the Los Angeles Rams’ initial 53-man roster. It will still be tweaked and changed before Week 1, but for now, we can gather what this team will look like when the season opens on Sept. 12.

The Rams haven’t released their unofficial depth chart for Week 1, and it’s not certain that they will, but we’ve gone ahead and projected who the starters will be, who will back them up, and which players will play reserve roles.

NFL practice squad: Rules, salary and eligibility for 2021

Everything you need to know about the practice squad in 2021, from eligibility rules to weekly salaries.

The practice squad has become more valuable than ever thanks to the NFL expanding its rules in 2020 to help provide roster flexibility during the pandemic. Teams can now carry more players, promote two each week and keep veterans on the practice squad.

In 2021, the rules are essentially the same as they were last year. We break down everything you need to know about the practice squad this season, with teams beginning to assemble them on Wednesday.

8 key quotes from Sean McVay on the Rams’ 53-man roster

Sean McVay met with the media after setting the Rams’ 53-man roster, discussing how difficult it was to trim the team.

After cutting their roster down to 53 players on Tuesday afternoon, Sean McVay met with the media to discuss the team’s decisions, highlighting a few players who were tough to move on from, as well as other positions that were difficult to trim.

He specifically discussed how tough it was to move on from Micah Kiser, the way Bryce Perkins earned his spot on the roster, the lack of depth at running back and outside linebacker, and other topics pertaining to the initial 53-man roster.

Here are eight key quotes from McVay’s press conference.

Predicting the Rams’ 17-man practice squad

A good portion of the players the Rams cut on Tuesday will land back on the practice squad, but only if they clear waivers.

The Rams were forced to cut about 25 players on Monday and Tuesday as they trimmed their roster down to only 53 men, but that doesn’t signal the end of the road for those who didn’t make it. They still have a chance to carve out roles in the NFL, be it with another team or on the practice squad.

A large portion of the players cut by the Rams will wind up back on the practice squad this week, assuming they clear waivers and aren’t claimed by another NFL team. Los Angeles can carry 16 players on the practice squad this year, plus it has an additional spot for Max Pircher thanks to the NFL’s International Player Development Program.

So who will land back with the Rams on their practice squad? We have a few predictions.

11 recently cut players the Rams should consider adding

These 11 players were cut by teams around the NFL and the Rams should consider bringing them in.

More than 500 players across the NFL were cut this week as teams trimmed their rosters down to the league limit of 53 players. The Rams were forced to waive a lot of good players, but there are plenty of talented guys who were cut by other teams that might interest Los Angeles, too.

The Rams should consider claiming or signing these 11 players to help round out their 53-man roster before Week 1.