Tag: Nsimba Webster

49ers claim former Rams WR/KR Nsimba Webster off waivers

The 49ers added former Rams return specialist Nsimba Webster to their roster via the waiver wire.

The 49ers might’ve solved the kick return problem that’s been ailing them for several seasons. The team announced Wednesday they claimed former Rams wide receiver and return man Nsimba Webster off waivers. San Francisco had a free roster spot so the addition didn’t require a corresponding move.

Webster was an undrafted free agent signee of the Rams following the 2019 draft. He played in 21 games across two seasons there including all 16 last year. The former Eastern Washington receiver spent most of his time in Los Angeles as a return man, and only registered eight offensive snaps.

He did carve out a role on special teams as a return man. Webster 32 punts and 18 kicks for the Rams, but fell into some fumbling problems last year when he registered three of them. LA placed him on waivers Tuesday and he was claimed by San Francisco a day later.

The 49ers’ return duties the last couple seasons have been handled by Richie James, but it stands to reason the team could be looking to upgrade at that spot, especially if James earns a bigger role on offense as the No. 3 wide receiver.

Webster isn’t a lock to make the roster, but he could quickly emerge as the team’s best return man and find himself in that role come Week 1.

 

Look: Nsimba Webster somehow got the new Xbox four days early

Nsimba Webster is ready to fire up the next-gen console.

This fall is a big one for gamers, with both Sony and Microsoft launching their next-gen consoles in November. Neither the Xbox Series X nor the PlayStation 5 have been released to the public yet, but preorders have begun and the systems will be showing up on doorsteps next week.

If you’re Nsimba Webster, though, you don’t have to wait until next week. The Rams’ return specialist shared a photo on Twitter of the new Xbox Series X packaging, somehow getting the console four days before its Nov. 10 release date.

He didn’t post any photos or videos of the next-gen Xbox in action, but he probably can’t wait to fire it up, if he hasn’t already.

Both the PS5 and the Xbox Series X are sold out everywhere, with stock extremely limited. They’ll be released throughout the rest of the year, but they could be hard to come by.

Nsimba Webster to get more chances on punt returns in place of Cooper Kupp

Cooper Kupp has been handling punt returns so far, but Nsimba Webster is going to get more chances.

Cooper Kupp is one of the Rams’ most important players on offense, which is what made it so surprising when Sean McVay made him the team’s primary punt returner. The experiment hasn’t exactly gone well, with Kupp returning just seven punts for 44 yards – six of which have come in the last two weeks, returning them for 36 yards.

He’s fumbled it once on a punt return and been conservative with fair catches, leading to a lack of explosive plays on special teams from L.A. McVay has recognized it’s time for a change, and so Nsimba Webster is going to get more opportunities to return punts moving forward.

“I think we’ll look into it,” he said Monday. “Cooper is such an important part of us offensively. I think it was good for Nsimba to get back there in those elements. We have the confidence in his ability to field it, he’s got great run instincts and natural run ability to be able to have those skills translate to being a good punt returner. I think those will be things that we’ll evaluate by the situation. You can expect to see Nsimba some more potential opps and I thought he did a nice job with the chances he had yesterday.”

Against Washington on Sunday, Webster returned three punts for 11 yards. It wasn’t much, but he seemed to provide a spark on special teams with more speed and quickness than Kupp has. It’s likely that the Rams could still use Kupp in obvious fair catch situations thanks to his good hands, but Webster has more juice in the return game and is more apt to create a big play.

Last season, Webster returned seven punts for 18 yards and two kickoffs for 57 yards, though he did fumble it once.

[vertical-gallery id=639484]

Cooper Kupp will return punts for the Rams moving forward

Fresh out a massive contract extension, wide receiver Cooper Kupp has found another role to fill for the Los Angeles Rams.

One of the more surprising developments in the Rams’ Week 1 victory was that the team employed Cooper Kupp as their punt returner. Don’t be surprised when you see the fourth-year receiver catching punts next week. Sean McVay has named Kupp as the team’s punt returner moving forward.

McVay simply stated that “the more touches [Kupp] gets, the better it is for our football team.” It seems like the Rams plan on getting their money’s worth from Kupp, who just signed a three year, $48 million extension over the weekend to remain in Los Angeles.

Many expected fellow receiver Nsimba Webster to be the team’s punt returner in 2020. Webster took over the role from JoJo Natson last year in December and returned a handful of punts and kicks in five games. He made the roster again this season in a crowded offense and even returned kicks for the Rams against Dallas. But the Rams chose to go a different direction when it came to their punt returner.

Kupp briefly filled in for an injured Natson as the team’s punt returner in 2018, returning one punt for four yards. It appears the Rams have always been intrigued by the idea of Kupp as a return man but were afraid to commit to it full-time. With Kupp on the books for nearly $50 million, maybe they felt it was finally time to unleash him on special teams.

Expect to see Kupp catching punts for at least the next few games.

Nsimba Webster tells funny story about his twin inadvertently fooling Rams

Nsimba Webster’s brother Nzuzi inadvertently fooled Rams coaches and players.

Nsimba Webster was one of the better stories with the Rams last year, sticking on the roster after going undrafted out of Eastern Washington. He only played five games, but he still contributed on special teams as a punt returner and kick returner.

He returned seven punts for 18 yards and two kickoffs for 57 yards, and has a chance to remain as the primary return specialist in 2020.

Webster recently shared a funny story about his twin brother in an interview with TheRams.com, where his brother inadvertently fooled Rams coaches while they were both in London for their game against the Bengals last year.

“The week we played the Bengals in London my brother came on the trip as well,” he said. “After the game, he came by the hotel to hang out with me and some of the players. We were all at a table and I went to the bathroom. Coaches and other players came by the table, [while I was gone] talking with my brother as if he was me the whole time When I came back, they were all in disbelief, thinking the whole time my twin was me. They thought we did that on purpose, but it definitely wasn’t planned.”

Nsimba’s brother, Nzuzi Webster, also played at Eastern Washington, but he was on the defensive side of the ball. He was a starting cornerback and helped lead the Eagles to the FCS title game in 2018, but he never made it to the NFL.

[vertical-gallery id=632238]

Rookies to be in the special teams spotlight Sunday vs. Seahawks

Darrell Henderson and Nsimba Webster will be the Rams’ kick and punt returners this week.

The Rams lost JoJo Natson for the season last week against the Cardinals after he suffered a hamstring injury that landed him on IR. Natson doesn’t contribute on offense, but he is a contributor on special teams.

He’s been the Rams’ primary punt and kick returner this season, so with him sidelined, the coaching staff will need to find a replacement (or two) on those units. It didn’t take them long to decide who will fill in, leaning on two rookies.

Sean McVay confirmed Friday that Darrell Henderson will be the kick returner and Nsimba Webster will return punts, simply saying “yes” when asked if that’s the plan.

Henderson was a third-round pick by the Rams and has carried the ball 37 times for 140 yards – at times looking like the explosive player he was at Memphis. With the Tigers, he was a dynamic runner, but he also returned 25 kicks for 487 yards with one touchdown. He hasn’t returned any in the NFL, but he’s more than capable of making a big play or two in that phase of the game.

On punts, it’ll be the undrafted rookie Webster, who was a preseason standout. He’s not as shifty as Natson, but his speed is evident and he gets downhill quickly. He should be able to help the Rams out immediately beyond just calling for fair catches.

“Nsimba was a guy that did a really nice job with that in the preseason,” McVay said this week. “Consistently caught the ball and he’s a guy that can do a really nice job creating after the catch, getting vertical immediately.”

It’s somewhat of a risk to go with two rookies as their returners, but the Rams have almost no other options. The roster is full and there aren’t any better candidates on the team right now. Neither player has done much of anything on offense, so maybe this is their time to have an impact on special teams.

Rams add Nsimba Webster to 53-man roster, waive RB John Kelly

The Rams have added Nsimba Webster to the 53-man roster after another team tried to sign him.

Nsimba Webster burst onto the scene for the Rams as an undrafted free agent this summer, making the 53-man roster out of the gates. He was waived in October but signed to the practice squad, sticking around in Los Angeles.

The Rams like his skill set as a receiver and return specialist, and they showed it on Saturday by promoting him from the practice squad to the active roster.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, they made the move partly because Brandin Cooks remains out, but also because another team tried to sign him to their roster.

To make room for Webster, the Rams waived running back John Kelly.

Webster probably won’t be active on Sunday against the Bears, even with Cooks out, but he does have a chance to make an impact at some point for the Rams down the line. He’s a speedy receiver out of the slot and dynamic return man with pro potential.

In the preseason, he had 15 catches for 150 yards and a touchdown in four games.