And just like that, LA Rams waive 5 promising players

When the LA Rams scrambled to fill vacancies on their almost depleted practice squad, some of the names added to the team were of players who fans have lobbied for throughout the entirety of the season. Of course, the circumstances were such that the Rams needed to have players available who were processed to join the team.

After losing 29 players to Reserve/COVID-19 lists, the Rams needed to restock the now bare cupboards with players who had cleared all of the checkpoints necessary to suit up for the team in case of emergency. That meant medical examinations, some level of auditions, and then a thumbs up from everyone.

But this is the NFL – also known as Not For Long. So after adding 9 players to the team’s practice squad, the front office pivoted and released five of those players, several of whom with quite promising potential.

Of the additions, the Rams have kept the following players:
LS Carson Tinker
K Ryan Santoso
DB Damarious Randall
DB Greg Stroman

As we had covered previously, both LS Carson Tinker and PK Ryan Santoso have been signed for emergencies, as just-in-case players who can be activated instantly if the team finds itself in dire need of either position.

Reshuffling Rams roster (again)

So why have the Rams jettisoned some intriguing (and quite talented) offensive linemen to retain two defensive backs?

As we had stated before, the Rams secondary was the primary need for the team. So desperate for warm bodies in the secondary, that the Rams literally signed DB Damarious Randall to the practice squad on December 18 to activate him in time for the Rams game on December 21st.

Wow. That’s fast.

Randall was the 29th player selected in the 2015 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers and has a well-traveled book of business covering receivers in the NFL. He has started in 56 of 75 games played and put on his best work while playing for the Cleveland Browns in 2018 and 2019. If you need a player to cover multiple positions in the secondary, then Damarious Randall is your guy. He’s played virtually every position in the NFL secondary well enough to start there, and his speed is such that he can keep up with nearly everyone.

The Rams also retained Greg Stroman as well. Stroman was the 241st player selected in the 2018 NFL Draft by the Washington Football Team. He was rather effective in his rookie season, starting three of 15 games played that year. Since then, he’s played in just five games. The reason? His 6-foot-0,180-pound frame does not hold up well to physical wide receivers.

Sorting out the remaining players

The Rams official team website currently lists 12+1 players on their practice squad and can add four more players (or demote four players from the team’s active roster) before additional spots must be created.  To that matter, the team currently has 49 players on the 53-man roster as well.

Right now, the team has 16 players remaining on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. Three of those players are designated for the practice squad (four positions open):

DB Tyler Hall
DL Jonah Williams
OLB Justin Lawler

Of the remaining 13 players, three players will likely return to IR:

NT Sebastian Joseph Day
TE Johnny Mundt
OL Jamil Demby

Of the remaining 10 players, the order of their return to the 53-man roster will likely dictate the subsequent roster transactions needed to balance the team as a whole.

The Rams are now 10-4 and play three more games this season. Right now the team is very likely a playoff team. But there are three formidable opponents standing in their way. Beyond that, the team still has 16 players unavailable to suit up.  The team may be on a three-game winning streak, but not out of the woods yet. Not by a long shot.