LA Rams denied OC, but awarded DB Tyler Hall off waivers

The LA Rams are window dressing the bottom of the roster just before their first preseason game. After the Detroit Lions waived offensive center, Drake Jackson, there was some belief that the Rams front office might show interest.  Whether or not that happened is unclear just yet. However, the Houston Texans most certainly took notice and claimed him off waivers. Since they finished the 2020 season with a worse record, they would have the priority to signing players off the waiver wire.

That part of the story is history. But it’s not where this tale ends. After all, this is the LA Rams, and their front office is active throughout the offseason.  The team conducted a bit of window dressing as the team broke training camp in preparation for the first preseason game against the cross-town rival LA Chargers.  First and foremost, the team cleared two roster spaces by waiving defensive back Jovan Grant and punter Brandon Wright, as noted on the LA Rams website. And there is more information there as well.

It seems that the LA Rams had claimed defensive back Tyler Hall off waivers from the Atlanta Falcons. That is the same defense that Defensive Coordinator Raheem Morris coached last season. So now we have a bit of sorting out.

Let’s start with the players waived by the Rams.

Transaction recap

Punter Brandon Wright was signed by the team in December 2020 as COVID-19 insurance in case punter Johnny Hekker tested positive. Thankfully, the Rams never needed to cash in that insurance policy. When the team signed Corey Bojorquez, Brandon Wright certainly fell to the bubble, and the Rams have now parted ways.

Defensive back Jovan Grant arrived at the LA Rams from the football program at Merrimack. He did not participate in college football in 2020 and had too much ground to make up as a result. A 6-foot-1 210-pound safety, he offers the chance to become a pseudo ILB/S hybrid in the NFL in the future.

While those moves opened up two roster spots, the Rams filled just one slot with the addition of former Atlanta Falcons defensive back Tyler Hall.  While he was a part-time player who was promoted from the practice squad in mid-October 2020, he was a special team regular. He played just six snaps on defense but appeared in 125 snaps on special teams on their coverage unit as a gunner. He ended the season with six tackles, which isn’t bad for a coverage guy.

He will likely compete on the Rams roster for a similar role. There is an emphasis on special teams this year, and Hall exhibits some expertise in that area.

Of course, the addition of Tyler Hall fills one of two open roster spots. What will become of the other spot? Well, the team may do nothing, as the NFL’s first wave of cuts to a roster of 85 arrives on August 17. If the team does decide to add an additional player, he will likely contribute to special teams as well.