LA Rams rework roster: Waive Warren Jackson, Sign DE T.J. Carter

The LA Rams are still working their roster, after having waived the five necessary to make the team’s 85-man roster limit today.  The focus for the latest moves is to beef up the team’s edge rushing depth with some serious big-bodied beef and to pare down the wide receiver group of an injured player.

First, let’s discuss Warren Jackson. Jackson was recently activated off the Physically Unable to Perform list just one week ago. In fact, he was activated alongside rookie RB Kyren Williams.

Jackson is the tall skyscraper wide receiver who played for Colorado State. His 6-foot-6 height was fertile ground to envision an LA Rams Tall Ball receiver lineup, putting Jackson on the field with 6-foot-5 LA Rams WR Jacob Harris and both 6-foot-6 LA Rams tight end, Tyler Higbee and Kendall Blanton.

Of course, those lofty plans (pun intended) never really got off the ground.  Just a week after activation, Jackson was waived due to injury:

So who is T.J. Carter, and why have the LA Rams added him now? Well, let’s just say he is a bit of an insurance policy for the Rams.

USFL star DE tries his luck in the NFL

First of all, you need to be aware that the LA Rams have two players named T.J. Carter. The first player added to the team’s roster was TCU’s defensive back T. J. Carter, who was signed to the team’s roster after the 2022 NFL Draft as an undrafted rookie.

The second, and most recently added player, is former Kentucky Wildcats defensive end, T.J. Carter. He was a four-year player at Kentucky but failed to hear his name called in the 2020 NFL Draft. He was signed by the Arizona Cardinals after the draft, but failed to generate much interest and was cut from the team in July 2020. He was later added to the New Orleans Saints in the preseason but failed to stick there as well.

He joined the Pittsburgh Steelers team in 2021 and was hopeful to make their practice squad. But the numbers game was not kind, and he ultimately signed with the USFL Michigan Panthers, where he contributed well to their 2-8 season. He placed third on the team with 2.5 quarterback sacks, and tenth on the team with 17 tackles.

He was given another shot with the Saints, who promptly waived him in a week’s time. The Rams claimed him off NFL Waivers from the Saints.

Carter is a big 6-foot-4 289-pound defensive end who can be a significant force on the LA Rams’ defensive front. He is a defensive end, a role that is a bit shallow right now with just 6-foot-5 270-pound Earnest Brown IV listed as the only DE on the Rams roster. The Rams will likely rotate 6-foot-5 275-pound defensive lineman, Jonah Williams, into that role as well. With the injury to defensive lineman Bobby Brown, the Rams found themselves short at the defensive line position to manage the rotations for their remaining preseason games.

Keep in mind that this team has already negated any participation of Aaron Donald, Greg Gaines, or A’Shawn Robinson. That left the team with just five defensive linemen to play in the remaining two preseason games. Today’s move gives the team enough depth to ensure at least one backup player at all three defensive line positions for at least the next preseason game.

But let’s not fool ourselves here. T.J. Carter is a talented young man, but the timing of this move resembles the Rams roster slipping on an emergency donut to get them through their remaining two preseason games. If he plays lights out, he may get an invitation to sign one with the team’s practice squad.

But this is not a move that I would bury myself researching unless he shows up big in the preseason.