Are LA Rams teasing fans once more with PS prestidigitation?

The LA Rams front office may not be making headlining news right now, but you have to give the personnel department an A for effort. While the ruckus on social media and in forums remains a constant cry for offensive line help, the Rams have signed offensive line help. But that is where it has ended so far.

Truth be told, the Rams roster has been reinforced as quickly as Les Snead could unroll, cut, and fit the players like duct tape over the thin spots. That has included tight end, signing Kendall Blanton, running back, by signing Malcolm Brown, and even the offensive line as we have alluded to previously, with the signing of veteran IOL Oday Aboushi and Matt Skura.

They have all been signed, sealed, and delivered. But on game day, they have also been glaringly forgotten and ignored. Despite the team playing overmatched backups on the offensive line, the team has shown no interest in using any of the reinforcements.

Practice squad prestidigitation?

And so, the latest news normally would prompt me to do the work, cite the history and Rams experience of their latest players who have been named to be activated off the practice squad for game day.

But after a month of reports about the team bringing up players from the practice squad in the past, does it make any sense to give quick information summaries about players who are likely to end up as distractions from what the LA Rams plan to do?

The LA Rams seem to be caught in a Catch-22 of their own making. The front office has been adding late picks and undrafted rookies to a number of positions for years. Over time, the coaching staff has slowly coached up those players to the point where they are ready to play as normal wear and tear creates opportunities.

Rams not equipped to handle rapid deployment

But the pace of cycling through players due to injury, suspensions, and other factors has forced the team to burn through all of the players who were truly ready to perform this season. Logan Bruss and Tremayne Anchrum are two such offensive linemen who have been lost for the season.

In response to more immediate needs, the team has added veterans who do not require nearly as much time to prepare to play. But the Rams are not doing so, suggesting that it is the coaching staff that is balking at deploying the incoming veterans at key positions.

So the team is stuck. The coaches want to stick with the disappointing play of the players they are familiar with. The offensive game plan sticks with passing plays that have been the bread and butter of this team as recently as 2021.

The Rams need help, sure. But the team is not exactly ready for that type of help from the outside. The front office and the coaching staff seem, for the first time in my recollection, to not be on the same page. Until the Rams get their own house in order, we’ll likely see a lot of players on the Rams roster who will foster a lot of fan interest, but who will not see much action on the football field.