LA Rams News: Team waives DB Levonta Taylor to make room for OLB Lewis

In LA Rams News: The team waived DB Levonta Taylor today, an expected move to restore OLB Terrell Lewis to the active roster

The LA Rams‘ roster started the day at 80 players. That’s the maximum ceiling for rosters in training camp until the team must pare down to the final 53. The only trouble? OLB Terrell Lewis, a projected impact player, and a likely starter at some point this season is on the COVID-19/reserve list. Since he doesn’t count against the 80, we cited the fact that his restoration would mean that the Rams would need to cut one more player. The news of such a cut occurred today.

While this is a positive sign that Lewis has tested negative and is ready to come back, it’s disappointing that the promising talents of Levonta Taylor won’t benefit the Rams this season.

Taylor had great promise

Levonta Taylor had some buzz about him when the Rams signed him after the 2020 NFL Draft. After all, he is a 5-foot-10 190 pound defensive back whose background as both safety and cornerback truly seemed to be a custom fit for the Rams 2020 defense.  At one point, the buzz about Taylor was as optimistic as a round-one prospect. But he suffered a back injury, followed by a nagging hamstring injury, which dropped him from star cornerback to intriguing safety.

While he was not drafted, he was one of many undrafted players who was projected to be selected on day three. He was one of the players whose talent helped him mask other deficiencies, such as biting on double moves and failing to recognize route breaks.

While it’s possible that Taylor could be signed to another team, or even to their practice squad, it’s unlikely that the Rams move today will open the option to sign on with the Rams practice squad.