LA Rams News: Team re-signs DE Morgan Fox, releases DT Tanzel Smart

The LA Rams continue to tweak the roster, re-signing former restricted free agent DE Fox

The LA Rams righted an oversight today as the team re-signed promising young defensive end, Morgan Fox. However, since the Rams had reached their 90-man roster limit, the team needed to find room for him.  To do so, the team parted ways with defensive lineman Tanzel Smart.  The move reinforces the LA Rams pass rush, as Fox generated two quarterback sacks in just 353 defensive snaps and three starts from 2019.

The move is a wise one, as Fox is one of the rising stars of the defense from a year ago.  Signed as an undrafted free agent, Fox projected as one of the Rams who needed to step up this season.  Fox is a versatile player, which is valuable in the new defensive scheme of defensive coordinator Brandon Staley.  While a defensive end, he could be used on the defense as a pseudo-outside-linebacker as well.  Standing 6-foot-3 and weighing 275 pounds, he has remarkable athleticism. 2019 was a bit of a rebound season, having missed the entirety of 2018 due to injury.

Unfortunately, the Rams had to part with DL Smart to make room for Fox. Smart was a 2017 sixth-round selection from Tulane and has been a spot contributor to both the defensive line and to special teams. With the addition of nose tackle A’Shawn Robinson in free agency, Smart was likely facing a release when the Rams pruned the roster down to the 55-man limit later this year. He served as a backup for All-Pro Aaron Donald. Unfortunately, the Rams no longer have the luxury of limited roles.

We had listed both Fox and Smart in our defensive end analysis of filling the projected void of veteran Michael Brockers.  Now, it seems as though the Rams have committed to the more versatile Fox for the 2020 season.