LA Rams: 49ers renew NFC West arms race, claim Webster off waivers

It only takes the final snowflake to begin a crushing avalanche. A well-placed drive from the tee can sink a golf ball into the cup to win a huge cash prize at a golf tournament. Armed colonists, chilled by damp spring air, awaited an advancing British formation sent to squash an uprising at nearby Concord Massachusettes. When spotted, gunfire ensued. Two colonists and three Redcoats lay dead. The British, realizing that the entire countryside had taken up arms, retreated to the safety of Boston. It was the Shot Heard Round the World.

Arms races do not begin with loud explosions, but rather with the snap of one small event. The LA Rams recently waived KR/PR Nsimba Webster, a move that was met with a silent nodding of heads and a round of approval from fans in forums and comments sections.  But Webster would not be without a home for long. The NFC West rival San Francisco 49ers quickly added him. The NFC West arms race has resumed once more.

The LA Rams made a dedicated effort throughout the 2021 NFL Draft and thereafter to elevate the overall athleticism of the team, with a keen eye towards focusing on improving the performance of special teams rather quickly.  New ST Coordinator Joe DeCamillis has made a rapid impact on the team and has left his thumbprint on any number of roster moves so far.

Los Angeles Rams

To that end, the addition of so many rookies who met that criteria sent a clear message to the tenured return specialist of the Rams return game, Nsimba Webster, that his performance was in peril.

He never made it to the LA Rams training camp.

Instead, he will line up to return punts and kickoffs for the rival 49ers, who were in the market for a return specialist this year with both returners Jerick McKinnon and Trent Taylor gone. Jerick McKinnon had signed on with the Kansas City Chiefs, while Trent Taylor had signed on with the Cincinnati Bengals in free agency. To make room for Webster, the 49ers have subsequently waived LB Nathan Gerry.

Per ESPN Sports statistics, Nsimba Webster was the 16th ranked kickoff returner in the NFL, averaging 21.7 yards. He was the 13th ranked punt returner in 2020 as well, averaging 7.4 yards per return. One of the more noteworthy aspects of his return game was ill-timed miffs where the football fell through his arms to the ground. That occurred three times in 2020, one of which resulting in a turnover. He joins a very stocked WR room, with the 49ers bursting at the seams with 14 players all competing for limited roster spots as wide receivers.

If Webster earns a spot returning the football for the 49ers, he will also become a reserve offensive weapon for the 49ers. He joins former LA Rams teammate Samson Ebukam in the Niners training camp. Also, the 49ers have two unsigned rookies: Quarterback Trey Lance and cornerback Ambry Thomas. Conversely, the LA Rams have just 10 wide receivers on their roster heading into training camp and have signed all rookies.