The Rams made three picks in the seventh round of the draft this year, but they probably wish they had an extra one to use on Raymond Calais. The speedy and talented running back out of Louisiana-Lafayette was on the Rams’ radar, but the team instead went with a kicker, linebacker and offensive lineman – and understandably so.
They made up for missing out on Calais this weekend, though, by poaching him off the Buccaneers’ practice squad. Although the move isn’t yet official – Calais has to take a physical first – the Rams are thrilled to have another running back in the mix this season.
General manager Les Snead shared his thoughts on Calais Monday, saying the Rams love his speed and explosiveness, calling it a “superpower.” It’s also more of a long-term move, which Snead often refers to as a “telescopic” view.
“That’s an easy one. Telescopic. And I know this: The odds of him getting a jersey on Sunday Night Football is slim, but we really liked him in the draft,” Snead said. “We like the superpower he brings of explosiveness, speed – and that being able to translate on the football field, looking at his yards per carry when he did touch the football and maybe housing a few of those kickoff returns. The goal is to get him up to speed as soon as possible, but you never know when the telescopic becomes the microscopic based on, does the explosiveness wow our staff as he’s probably giving the defense a look on scout team or the special teams a look on scout team. Or if there, unfortunately, is some type of attrition, which we know happens in this league.”
Sean McVay is optimistic Darrell Henderson will be able to play against the Cowboys on Sunday night, which makes it even more unlikely that Calais will suit up. But if and when he does, he’ll provide help on special teams, too.
Calais was all-conference as a kick returner last season, averaging 28.5 yards per return. He brought back two kickoffs for touchdowns in 2017, too, using his speed to make game-changing plays on special teams.
“He’s got a great returnability, he’s got explosion,” McVay said of Calais. “Did some nice things, that we had heard from some similar people that we know what the Bucs and our coaches evaluated him coming out (of college). I think anytime that you’ve got one of those elite traits with that speed, you’re going to get an opportunity. And that was really the thing that excited a lot of guys to be able to get him in here.”
At the moment, the Rams have four running backs on the 53-man roster: Cam Akers, Malcolm Brown, Henderson and Xavier Jones. Calais would make five, but it’s possible the Rams will send Jones down to the practice squad instead.
They’ll have to make a move by Wednesday and expect to do just that, so we’ll soon know how the Rams plan to fit Calais into the picture.