LA Rams queue rookie S Jordan Fuller to return

LA Rams have queued rookie safety Jordan Fuller to return to practice with the team and return to the active roster

The LA Rams defense has been fairly effective as of late. In fact, the more games played, the more the Rams defense seems to improve. That’s regardless of who the team has played on their roster. But thanks to a well-timed bye week, the Rams have the chance to restore the defense to nearly full strength. That means that the defensive line will finally have nose tackle veteran A’Shawn Robinson lining up over center.

It also means that the rookie safety, Jordan Fuller, will be back as well. To get there, the LA Rams announced that the team has designated Fuller to return to the active roster. He joins offensive lineman Joseph Noteboom on the Reserve/Designated to return list.

So what does that mean? Let’s discuss this as it was confusing to many when the team reactivated NT Robinson in a similar fashion.

21-day countdown

Moving a player to the Reserve/Designated to return gives the team up to 21 days to bring the returning player along via practices to a point where they can return to the active-53 man roster.  In order for the team to activate a player to the 53-man roster, there must be a spot available. Right now, the LA Rams have just 52 active players. Ah, but there is a catch.

The Rams currently have two players aiming to return. That means that the team will need to cut a player, hope they are not claimed by another team, and then sign that player to the 16 man practice squad. Right now, the Rams have a full practice squad roster, so if the team intends to retain any player waived to make room, they must waive a player from the practice squad.

Sum up roster strategy

So just to sum that up, the Rams have both Fuller and Noteboom designated to return. He has just nine days to be reactivated. Fuller has 21 days to do so.

Despite the fact that there is more time remaining for Fuller to return, I expect that the team will either do both simultaneously or may even active Fuller first.  The second roster move will require the team to free up that spot, and for now, I’m uncertain that the team has a consensus as to which player will be waived to make room.  My guess is that the spot would need to come from the offensive side of the ball. Perhaps an offensive lineman or running back waived now to move to the practice squad.

Why the rush?

The Rams will likely work hard to reactivate Fuller this week because the Seahawks offense is one of the most dangerous passing games in the NFL.  Fuller’s seamless ability to defend the pass is his trademark and is the very reason he has won over the fans so quickly in his career.  With the Rams next four games including the Seattle Seahawks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Arizona Cardinals, and the return of the San Francisco 49ers, the Rams defense will be tested to its limits.

Fuller is more than just another NFL safety. He is one of the key cogs to the entire team. With the LA Rams facing the arguably toughest four-game stretch of their season, getting Jordan Fuller back is a huge step in the right direction.  We’ll see whether it gives the Rams an advantage soon enough. But we are thrilled to have him in there. The Rams defense has a swag about it when he plays.

We’re about to see what the LA Rams are made of. I, for one, want Jordan Fuller playing when we find out.