Tag: dresser winn

Rams release OLB Ochaun Mathis, 11 others in first wave of cuts

The Rams have made their first wave of cuts as they work toward the 53-player limit, cutting 11 players on Sunday

The roster trimming has officially begun for the Los Angeles Rams. On Sunday, the team released 12 players as it works its way toward the 53-man limit by Tuesday’s deadline.

Among the first 12 players cut were 2023 sixth-rounder Ochaun Mathis, fourth-string quarterback Dresser Winn and veteran defensive tackle Carlos Watkins. None of the names are particularly surprising, but the Rams still have a long way to go toward getting to the maximum of 53 players.

Olakunle Fatukasi, J.J. Laap, Blake Larsen, Alec Lindstrom, Cameron McCutcheon, Grant Miller, SaRodorick Thompson and Matt Kaskey were also among the players cut Sunday. It was reported earlier that Boston Scott was released, too.

Take a look at the full list of 12 players cut below.

Dresser Winn deserves an opportunity amidst Stetson Bennett’s struggles

The Rams should give Dresser Winn a shot after seeing Stetson Bennett throw four picks

With of the featured Rams news of the day being Matthew Stafford leaving practice with a tight hamstring, it’s only fitting to discuss contingency plans should Stafford miss action this season. Now, the news of Stafford’s “injury” has been blown out of proportion. While a hamstring injury does have the potential to linger, there is no doubt in my mind Stafford will be ready to go Week 1 in Detroit.

That is not to say Stafford won’t miss time in the regular season, as we saw last season when he got banged up and would go on to miss a start in a pivotal game against Green Bay. The Rams saw just how important it is to have a backup quarterback capable of operating the offense at a respectable level. The Rams addressed that need in the offseason by signing NFL veteran Jimmy Garoppolo, a rhythm and timing-reliant quarterback whose style fits in perfectly for an offense that is built off rhythm and timing. If Stafford gets banged up again and is forced to miss time for the third consecutive season, Jimmy G will be more than capable of steering the ship.

There is a catch, though. Garoppolo will be unavailable to be the backup quarterback due to a two-game suspension, which leaves Stetson Bennett as the projected Week 1 QB2 for the Rams. The fourth quarterback on the roster, Dresser Winn, is projected to be the Rams’ QB3/emergency quarterback to open the season.

Bennett missed all of last season as he dealt with personal issues, and he returns to the Rams this season as a shoo-in for the QB3/emergency role. With the aforementioned Jimmy G suspension, many projected Bennett would assume the QB2 position for the first two games of the regular season.

However, if you watched the Rams’ opening preseason game, Bennett showed he may not be such a lock after all.

Bennett took all 71 of the Rams offensive snaps against the Cowboys, tossing four horrific interceptions and the eventual game-winning touchdown in route to a 13-12 victory over Dallas. The most concerning parts of Bennett’s interceptions were that he was not under pressure, none of the INTs were a result of tipped or dropped passes, and they all could have been avoided with better decision-making. Simply not good enough to warrant being the QB2 to open the season on an NFL roster. McVay made it clear Bennett is still under evaluation following his performance against Dallas.

The poor showing from Bennett should open the door for Winn to get some game reps this weekend against the Chargers. Winn, who enters his second season, has only appeared in one preseason game in his career. Winn’s lone preseason appearance was short lived, as he went 3-for-5 with 21 yards at the tail end of a 41-0 blowout loss against Denver on August 26th, 2023. Winn was released by the Rams on August 29th, 2023, but went on to earn a couple of stints on the Rams practice squad throughout last season. Obviously, McVay and company see something in Winn to bring him back for another go around, so why not give him a shot to play this weekend?

Bennett has an average of a 57.2% completion percentage in four preseason appearances. Pair that statistic with two passing touchdowns to a whopping seven interceptions, and you’ll come to the conclusion Bennett may not be NFL-caliber. At this point, Bennett has shown the Rams who he is with his play on the field. Los Angeles needs to allow Winn to do the same.

Rams bring back QB Dresser Winn, make 2 other roster moves

The Rams made three roster moves on Tuesday, including the signing of Dresser Winn

With the playoffs approaching, the Los Angeles Rams are preparing their roster for the upcoming postseason run. On Tuesday, they made three roster moves.

The team cut long snapper Alex Matheson from the practice squad and signed Dresser Winn to take his place. Cornerback Shaun Jolly was also placed on injured reserve, so he’ll miss the rest of the season unless the Rams reach the Super Bowl.

The Rams have Carson Tinker on the roster as their long snapper, so they don’t feel the need to have a backup despite the fact that Alex Ward is unlikely to return from injured reserve this year, according to Sean McVay.

Winn was with the Rams this offseason and then was signed to the practice squad in November before being cut a week later. His return could be a sign of Los Angeles potentially resting Matthew Stafford in Week 18, giving the Rams an emergency option behind Carson Wentz.

Rams are signing Carson Wentz, releasing Dresser Winn

The Rams are signing Carson Wentz, adding another backup quarterback behind Matthew Stafford

Sean McVay indicated on Monday that the Los Angeles Rams could add some competition at backup quarterback behind Matthew Stafford and they didn’t waste any time doing that. As first reported by Aaron Wilson, the Rams are signing Carson Wentz.

They’re also releasing rookie Dresser Winn from the practice squad.

Wentz has been a free agent since the Commanders released him in February, waiting for his next opportunity. That’s coming in Los Angeles with the Rams, where Brett Rypien hasn’t cut it as a backup to Stafford.

With Winn being released from the practice squad, it’s likely Wentz will start on the practice squad and potentially be elevated to the game-day roster.

McVay said Monday that he’s optimistic about Stafford playing against the Seahawks in Week 11 when the Rams return from their bye, so it’s unlikely Wentz will be the starter in that one. He will have an extra week to get acclimated in Los Angeles, though.

Rypien struggled in his lone start with the Rams on Sunday, completing 13 of 28 passes for 130 yards with one interception and a lost fumble in the 20-3 loss.

Wentz started seven games for the Commanders last season and threw for 1,755 yards with 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions. In his career, he’s completed 62.6% of his passes and averaged 237.9 yards per game with 151 touchdown passes and 66 interceptions.

He was the No. 2 overall pick in 2016, the year the Rams drafted Jared Goff first overall. Los Angeles also had Jalen Ramsey (fifth overall) and Leonard Floyd (ninth overall) on their roster from that draft class.

Rams activate Dresser Winn from practice squad for Week 9

With Matthew Stafford questionable, the Rams have promoted Dresser Winn from the practice squad for this week’s game

Matthew Stafford didn’t practice all week and it seems unlikely that he’ll play against the Packers on Sunday. The Rams are preparing for that exact scenario, making a notable move Saturday afternoon.

They activated Dresser Winn from the practice squad, making him available to back up Rypien in the event that Stafford can’t play. Winn was just signed to the practice squad this past week after Stafford injured his thumb, but he was also with the team throughout the summer.

Winn was signed by the Rams as an undrafted free agent in May but he was cut before the season began. With Stetson Bennett still on the non-football illness list, likely for the rest of the season, the Rams needed another quarterback as an emergency option.

Rams sign QB Dresser Winn to practice squad, Darrell Henderson Jr. to active roster

The Rams added another quarterback Wednesday, bringing back Dresser Winn

With Matthew Stafford suffering a UCL sprain in his right thumb in Sunday’s loss to the Cowboys, the Rams have made an addition to their quarterback room in the event that he can’t play this weekend. The team announced on Wednesday that Dresser Winn has been signed to the practice squad, and in order to make room for him there, Darrell Henderson Jr. was signed to the active roster.

Winn is now the third quarterback in Los Angeles, with Stafford and Brett Rypien on the 53-man roster. If Stafford can’t play against the Packers in Week 9 (and possibly longer), Winn will be the backup to Rypien.

The Rams originally signed Winn to their offseason roster back in May when he went undrafted out of the University of Tennessee at Martin. He spent the summer with Los Angeles but was cut when the 53-man roster was set.

Henderson spent the last two weeks on the Rams’ practice squad but is now the fourth running back on the 53-man roster, joining Royce Freeman, Zach Evans and Myles Gaskin.

Rams sign UT Martin QB Dresser Winn as undrafted rookie

The Rams now have three quarterbacks on their roster after signing UT Martin’s Dresser Winn as an undrafted rookie

The Los Angeles Rams have found their No. 3 quarterback – for now. On Sunday, the team signed University of Tennessee at Martin quarterback Dresser Winn as an undrafted free agent.

Winn is 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds, so he’s not the biggest quarterback but also has good enough size. Last season, he was named an All-OVC second-team player and led UT Martin to back-to-back regular-season championships in the Ohio Valley Conference.

He threw for 2,928 yards and 18 touchdown passes in 2022, completing 61% of his passes with five games of 300-plus yards. Winn finished his career at UT Martin with the fifth-most passing yards (5,800), fifth-most touchdown passes (37) and fourth-most completions (492) in program history.

He joins Matthew Stafford and Stetson Bennett as the third quarterback on the Rams’ roster, giving them another passer for the upcoming minicamp and potentially even training camp.

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