Tag: Xavier Smith

Rams make easy decision on Xavier Smith, sign him to 53-man roster

The Rams couldn’t promote Xavier Smith from the practice squad anymore so they made the easy decision to sign him to the active roster

Xavier Smith had been promoted from the practice squad to the game-day roster in each of the Los Angeles Rams’ last three games, but that’s the maximum number of times a player can be called up in one season. Therefore, if the Rams wanted him to keep playing in games, they needed to sign him to the 53-man roster.

On Tuesday, they made what was a very easy decision official. They announced the signing of Smith to the active roster, as well as the return of Geron Christian to the practice squad; Christian was waived from the 53-man roster on Tuesday.

Additionally, Joe Noteboom returned to practice for the first time since being placed on injured reserve after the team’s Week 1 loss. He can be activated at any time now.

In three games this season, Smith has returned three punts for a total of 55 yards, none bigger than his 38-yard return in Week 3 against the 49ers to help lift the Rams to victory. He also caught two passes for 6 yards in Week 6, getting a small opportunity to contribute on offense.

Smith signing to the activate roster is a nice reward after he spent last season and the early part of this year on the practice squad, giving him a more permanent spot on the team moving forward.

Rams have a decision to make on Xavier Smith, but it should be an easy one

The Rams have maxed out Xavier Smith’s allowed roster activations, forcing them to make a roster decision before their next game

Xavier Smith, despite having a fantastic preseason, was waived and then signed to the Rams’ practice squad during final roster cuts. Because of the team’s injuries at wideout, Smith has spent the last three games getting activated from the practice squad, playing, and then immediately reverting back to the practice squad.

Well, according to NFL rules, teams are only allowed to do that three times per player per season. After three games, the player must be signed to the active roster if the team wants him to play on game days.

Because of that rule, the Rams must sign Smith to the 53-man roster in order to maintain him as their primary return specialist. If they don’t, he won’t be able to play in another game all year.

Not only has Smith been a contributor on special teams as a returner, but his presence allows Kyren Williams and Blake Corum to do what they do best without having to worry about fielding punts and kicks. It also mitigates the chance of injury for the Rams’ running back duo.

Williams already touches the ball around 20 times per game and he’s on the field for the majority of offensive snaps. Taking special teams responsibilities off his plate gives him a little less wear on his young tires.

Smith is finally getting an understanding of the offense. Despite limited reps, Smith hauled in the first two catches in his NFL career on Sunday against the Packers. Smith’s two receptions came on only two targets, totaling 6 yards. If the Rams’ WR room picks up another injury, Smith would be ready for the moment – and that’s not out of the question after Jordan Whittington had his arm in a sling on Sunday night.

Smith has proven himself time after time this season and quite frankly, are probably still winless without his punt return against San Francisco.

Smith has an opportunity to establish himself in the NFL and potentially secure his financial future. The Rams have an opportunity to find a solution to what has been a long-term special teams problem.

They really have no choice but to sign him to the active roster, a move Smith is well-deserving of.

Sean McVay shares plan for Xavier Smith vs. Bears

Xavier Smith had a breakout performance last week and will have an opportunity to repeat against the Bears.

Xavier Smith, one of the heroes in last week’s win against San Francisco, will suit up against the Bears this Sunday. When asked about Smith, this weekend and his roster status moving forward, this is what Sean McVay had to say.

“Yeah, he’ll be up. Fortunately or unfortunately, we’ve got some roster ability to be able to move some different things around with the injuries that we do have. Whether or not he’s another flex from the practice squad or whether we actually put him on the active roster, those are just more mechanical things but he’ll be returning punts and kicks.”

The Rams did elevate Smith to the game-day roster Saturday, which is a temporary promotion for this week.

Smith had a 38-yard punt return last week that set up a Joshua Karty game-winning field goal. It was Smith’s first ever touch of a football in an NFL regular-season game.

With Smith as the Rams’ full-time returner, expect Kyren Williams to get even more touches of the football on offense.

Rams elevate Ahkello Witherspoon, Xavier Smith from practice squad

The Rams have brought up Ahkello Witherspoon and Xavier Smith from the practice squad for Sunday’s game against the Bears

The Los Angeles Rams’ practice squad elevations for Week 4 are quite notable. The team announced Saturday it has promoted cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon and return specialist Xavier Smith to the game-day roster, making them eligible to play against the Chicago Bears.

Sean McVay indicated that Witherspoon could be elevated for the first time this week and it was certain that Smith would be promoted again after his 38-yard punt return to help lift the Rams last week against the 49ers.

Witherspoon played and started all 17 games for the Rams last season and signed to the practice squad earlier this month with all the injuries they’ve suffered at cornerback. It’s unclear how much he might play against the Bears, if at all, but at least the Rams have another option in the secondary.

Smith will remain the Rams’ return specialist moving forward, earning that role when given his first opportunity last week.

Rams would be crazy to use anyone but Xavier Smith as their punt returner

Xavier Smith made a huge impact on his first NFL touch and the Rams can’t turn away from him now

(This story was updated because an earlier version included an inaccuracy.)

At the start of the season, the Los Angeles Rams surprisingly experimented with Kyren Williams as their punt returner. Sean McVay defended the decision as a way to get the ball in his hands more often, but the results didn’t warrant the risk of injury.

In the first two games, Williams fair caught one punt, returned one for 12 yards and had a return for no gain on another. On Sunday, the Rams made a switch on special teams and the return was immediately positive.

They called up Xavier Smith, a second-year receiver out of Florida A&M who continuously shined in the preseason the last two years. He replaced Williams on punt returns and after calling a fair catch on his first fielded first punt, he made a game-changing play on his second attempt.

With 55 seconds left, he fielded the punt at the Rams’ 12-yard line, made one man miss and broke upfield for a 38-yard return. It was the Rams’ longest punt return since Brandon Powell’s 61-yarder in 2021, showing exactly the impact he can have with the ball in his hands.

That set up Joshua Karty’s game-winning field goal, potentially saving the Rams’ season.

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1837996644559687847

If Sean McVay takes one thing away from Sunday’s win, it’s that Smith should remain the team’s punt returner moving forward. The Rams have struggled to find an impactful player in the return game for years but Smith could solve that problem. He’s fast and has excellent vision, and his return skills can help L.A. avoid any potential injuries to starters on special teams.

“What a cool deal for Xavier Smith,” McVay said after the game. “Great job aggressively fielding that thing, got some blocks, got to the sideline , got us in good field position right off the jump and then Ronnie Rivers converted on the fake punt. I thought that was a real difference for us.”

The Rams shouldn’t have any trouble using Smith as their punt returner next week or the week after. But coming back from their Week 6 bye, they’ll have a decision to make. Smith is on the practice squad and teams can only elevate a single player three times in a season. Therefore, if Smith is elevated in the next two weeks, the Rams will have to give him a spot on the 53-man roster if they want him to keep contributing.

With players potentially returning from IR after the bye, the Rams may have some trouble finding room for Smith on the active roster. No matter what it takes, they should find a way to make it happen.

Special teams was a mess in 2023, including the return game, and Smith has a chance to be the Rams’ next playmaker in that phase of the game.

This post inaccurately stated that Xavier Smith attended FAU, not Florida A&M.

Watch: Fired-up Sean McVay hands out 5 game balls after Rams’ win vs. 49ers

Sean McVay was fired up in the locker room after the Rams’ comeback win and he handed out 5 game balls to key contributors

Victory speeches are back for Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams, which is a wonderful thing. McVay’s speeches in the locker room after wins are always a fan favorite and now that the Rams are finally back in the win column, the always-entertaining videos are back.

The Rams shared Sunday’s locker room speech after the Rams’ dramatic comeback against the 49ers and McVay was as fired up as he’s ever been. It’s easy to see why, given the desperation for a win after starting 0-2 and losing several key starters to injuries.

“I’ll tell you what, some (expletive) fight in this group, man! I love it! I love it! There are so many guys I want to be able to recognize, and there are a couple of guys that come to mind immediately,” he said before handing out game balls.

He singled out Xavier Smith for his punt return in the fourth quarter, Kyren Williams for his three touchdowns, the defense as a whole for stepping up late and Tutu Atwell for his 93 yards receiving as a starter at receiver.

He also gave a game ball to Matthew Stafford, who then passed it off to rookie kicker Joshua Karty – the guy who hit the game-winning field goal with 2 seconds left.

Rams’ late field goal caps rally to jar 49ers

The Rams never quit and overcame a double-digit deficit against the 49ers

The Los Angeles Rams did not lead their game on Sunday at SoFi until  two seconds remained. Joshua Karty changed that with a 37-yard field goal that gave the Rams a 27-24 victory over the San Francisco 49ers.

The kick capped a comeback that saw the Rams score 13 points in the last 6:15. A Kyren Williams touchdown was sandwiched by two Karty field goals in the rally.

The play that set up the winning kick was a 38-yard punt return by Xavier Smith, who was in his first NFL game.

Both teams are 1-2 and each came into the game with major injuries. The Rams pulled a fake punt that changed momentum in the game.

The 49ers took the kickoff after the game-winning field goal and went into helter-skelter return that made things interesting.

Rams activate two players from practice squad for Week 3

The Rams are bringing up Nikola Kalinic and Xavier Smith from the practice squad for Sunday’s game

With Davis Allen, Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua all out for Sunday’s game against the San Francisco 49ers, the Los Angeles Rams are bringing in some extra depth at tight end and wide receiver.

The team announced Saturday that it has activated tight end Nikola Kalinic and wide receiver Xavier Smith from the practice squad. They’ll be temporarily elevated to the game-day roster for this weekend against the 49ers before reverting back to the practice squad on Monday.

Kalinic isn’t expected to play any offensive snaps behind Colby Parkinson and Hunter Long unless one of them gets hurt. Smith has a slim chance of contributing on offense, too, but he is a return specialist so perhaps he could get an opportunity there.

Predicting which receivers will make the Rams’ 53-man roster

There’s still a lot to be sorted out at wide receiver for the Rams this summer

It’s pretty much determined that Puka Nacua, Cooper Kupp, Demarcus Robinson, and Jordan Whittington will be on the 53-man roster come Week 1.

However, who will make the final two or three spots is still a mystery. It’s expected that the team will keep six or seven receivers on the roster as one should serve as the team’s returner.

I’m going out on a limb to say that Tutu Atwell will not be on the roster this season. While the Rams have refused to move Atwell, trade rumors exist for a reason, and in Atwell’s three seasons, he has been both injury-prone and inconsistent.

While many expected Atwell to be a returner, Xavier Smith has stepped up in preseason. Smith has averaged nearly 24 yards per punt return while hauling in nine receptions for 67 yards.

To fill out that last roster spot, the Rams want a reliable talent with experience. Tyler Johnson checks those boxes. Johnson is entering his fifth year in the NFL and his second with the Rams. He’s taller, more healthy and more consistent than Atwell.

He’s also a Super Bowl champion with the Buccaneers and he’s a perfect locker room guy.

Drake Stoops, Sam Wiglusz and JJ Laap will battle for practice squad spots. In my opinion, Wiglusz will win out.

Chiefs have shown interest in Florida A&M WR Xavier Smith

The #Chiefs have shown interest in the top HBCU receiver in the 2023 NFL draft, per report.

The Kansas City Chiefs continue to be connected to some Day 3 wide receiver prospects.

According to KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson, the Chiefs are one of over a dozen teams to have an interest in Florida A&M WR Xavier Smith. The Bills, Panthers, Bears, Lions, Raiders, Chargers, Rams, Giants, Jets, Buccaneers and 49ers also appear to have some level of interest.

Smith was among the standouts at the HBCU combine this year, weighing in at 5-9 and 175 pounds and running a 4.3s 40-yard dash. He’s fresh off of an impressive 2022 campaign with the Rattlers, catching 87 passes for 1,021 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. He ranked 13th in the FCS in receiving yards and tied for 10th in receiving touchdowns during the 2022 college football season.

Smith has a reputation as one of the best route runners at the FCS level, consistently creating separation against his opponents. He finished his career at Florida A&M with five multi-score games, including a three-touchdown performance against Alabama A&M in 2022. He has special teams experience as a return man, so you know that he has the Dave Toub stamp of approval in Kansas City.

Smith has been projected anywhere from a fifth-round draft pick to an undrafted free agent acquisition for teams. We’ll see where he ends up soon enough, with the 2023 NFL draft less than a week away.

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