Tag: rams practice squad

Rams practice squad tracker: Here’s who LA has signed so far

The Rams have begun assembling their practice squad, which can hold up to 16 players

Although NFL teams can only carry 53 players on the active roster during the season, they do have the luxury of keeping 16 more players on the practice squad. Oftentimes, teams bring back players whom they waived before the season and sign them to the practice squad, which gives them the chance to keep working with players they liked – just not enough to keep them on the 53-man roster for one reason or another.

Teams can begin assembling their 16-man practice squads on Wednesday and the Rams have already started signing players. Most of them are expected to be players who were with Los Angeles this summer, but the Rams also have the ability to sign outside free agents to the practice squad.

Follow along below to see all of the Rams’ practice squad signings so far.

Update: The Rams signed 15 players to their practice squad Wednesday.

Predicting Rams’ 16-man practice squad following final roster cuts

Looking at the 16 players the Rams could sign to their practice squad Wednesday

With the Rams’ initial 53-man roster set, the next step is assembling their practice squad. They can keep 16 players on the practice squad and typically, those 16 players are guys who were cut by the Rams on cutdown day.

Los Angeles can begin building its practice squad on Wednesday afternoon, but in order for players to be available to be signed, they must clear waivers – at least for those who are subject to waivers.

Here’s who we think the Rams could sign to their practice squad to start this season, keeping them in Los Angeles to develop a little bit longer.

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.

Rams protect 3 practice squad players, including a punter and kicker

The Rams are playing it safe on special teams, protecting three practice squad players this week.

The NFL made significant changes to the practice squad this year in wake of the coronavirus pandemic, allowing teams to not only carry more players all year, but also giving them the chance to protect up to four players each week from being signed by other teams.

The Rams hadn’t taken advantage of the protection rule up to this point, but they’re taking a more guarded approach as the season winds down. The team announced Tuesday that it has protected punter Brandon Wright, kicker Austin MacGinnis and long snapper Colin Holba for Week 15.

Those players cannot be signed by other teams this week as a result of the designation.

As the Rams’ tweet noted, Wright is a newcomer to the practice squad, being signed on Tuesday. Johnny Hekker is healthy and playing well, but the Rams want to have a backup plan in the event that Hekker lands on the COVID-19 list or suffers an injury.

The same goes for MacGinnis and Holba, acting as emergency options in case Matt Gay or Jake McQuaide can’t play due to a COVID-19 outbreak.

Rams announce 15 practice squad signings

The Rams have assembled their expanded practice squad for the start of the season.

The practice squad is even more important this year than in seasons past due to the coronavirus pandemic and the increasing size of each team’s unit. Every NFL team is allowed to carry 16 players on their practice squad this season, including six players with unlimited accrued seasons.

The Rams built their practice squad on Sunday after final cuts were made on Friday and Saturday, bringing back a large number of players they waived. Here’s the full list of the 15 players that Los Angeles signed to its practice squad.

All of them were with the Rams during training camp.

LB Daniel Bituli

TE Kendall Blanton

C Cohl Cabral

DT Marquise Copeland

DB Dont’e Deayon

G Jamil Demby

DT Michael Hoecht

DB Juju Hughes

WR J.J. Koski

DB Tyrique McGhee

LB Derrick Moncrief

LB Natrez Patrick

QB Bryce Perkins

LB Christian Rozeboom

DE Jonah Williams

One of the most important signings was Bryce Perkins, who the team feared might be claimed off waivers by another team Sunday. He’s a promising young quarterback with excellent mobility and a live arm, giving Sean McVay someone to develop behind Jared Goff and John Wolford.

It’s also great news that the Rams were able to retain Christian Rozeboom, who drew interest from other teams and was a highly sought-after prospect after going undrafted in April. He provides depth at inside linebacker, where the Rams are extremely thin.

With 15 players on the practice squad, the Rams have one more spot available.

Rams sign second-year DB Adonis Alexander to practice squad

Adonis Alexander was a sixth-round pick in the 2018 supplemental draft.

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The Rams called up Donte Deayon and Chandler Brewer to the 53-man roster on Wednesday, opening up two spots on the practice squad. They filled one relatively quickly, signing former Redskins defensive back Adonis Alexander to the practice squad Thursday.

Alexander came into the NFL as a sixth-round pick in the 2018 supplemental draft. He was a player some thought the Rams might be interested in, given his size and potential out of Virginia Tech.

They ultimately passed, and now they’ve added him without surrendering any draft capital.

Alexander doesn’t have great speed – he ran a 4.61 40-yard dash – but he can play both safety and cornerback. That flexibility is a trait the Rams like to see in their defensive backs.

He has not played yet this season, but he appeared in nine games as a rookie in 2018. He made just four tackles and only played 11 snaps on defense.