LA Rams stockpiling offensive talent on practice squad

PR/KR who has caught for Stafford

The team added former Atlanta Falcons WR Brandon Powell. He played for former Falcons interim head coach Raheem Morris in 2020. During that time, Powell handled most of the Atlanta Falcons return duties, both punts, and kickoffs, for the Falcons in 2020.

At 5-foot-8 and 188-pounds, he is not going to threaten anyone’s job at first. But he does have 4.59-second 40-yard dash speed, and he has been the primary ball-handler for kickoff and punts in his career.  And he is connected to Rams QB Matthew Stafford as well.

He was formerly an undrafted free agent rookie signing by the Detroit Lions in 2018, a year that he played a fairly promising role. He earned a Pro Football Focus (PFF) grade of 63.0 for 2018. He was cut by the Lions in 2019, where the Atlanta Falcons signed him up through the 2020 season.

Since that time, he had auditioned for both the Buffalo Bills and the Miami Dolphins before signing on with the LA Rams. Despite not making it elsewhere, he could succeed with the Rams simply because this team has lost both punt and kickoff returners to injury.

Of course, don’t be looking for the cavalry to be riding over the crest of the nearby hillside anytime soon. The young man has just arrived and will need to show off what he can do to the coaching staff before there are any plans to slide him into a productive role for the team. But the fact that the Rams signed him up is a good sign.