Frustrating end to Rams receiver's preseason is painful deja vu

Two players left the preseason field last Saturday with injuries on the Los Angeles Rams' side of the ball. Both had hamstring injuries. One was tackle Keagen Trost, who is expected to miss several weeks.

The other was receiver Mario Williams, who got the same label from head coach Sean McVay before being waived Tuesday with an injury designation. 

That's frustrating, obviously, but it's even more deflating Williams saw his season end in almost identical fashion last year: a preseason injury that led to Williams being waived and released in late August.

The Rams announced the move alongside the addition of former Raiders receiver Alex Bachman, who has five career catches for 43 yards.

Williams' bad luck continues for second straight year with Rams

Williams was waived last season on August 19, and let go two days later. There has been no update on whether Williams' return timeline changed from a "few weeks" into something more severe, prompting the Rams to remove him the active offseason roster.

If he goes unclaimed on waivers, the Rams can either place him on injured reserve or release him with an injury settlement. According to transaction logs, Williams agreed to the latter in 2025 a day after landing on IR.

It's a disappointing setback after a solid training-camp performance that saw Williams turn heads earlier this month. In the preseason game against the Chiefs, he returned a pair of kickoffs. McVay said it was on one of those returns that Williams injured his hamstring. 

Although Williams wasn't going to make the team, he could have earned a spot on the practice squad. 

Bachman, 30, will likely serve as preseason depth in the final two games, and perhaps as a practice-squad candidate himself. He caught two passes for 12 yards and returned 22 punts for 134 last season with the Raiders. 

He and second-year receiver Brennan Presley could be in position to compete for one of the 16 squad spots. Bachman has the size advantage, while Presley has youth and potential. 

For Williams, the battle for a spot with the 2026 Rams is likely over, which is a shame. The former Tulane wideout led the American Conference with 1,031 receiving yards in 2024, after two seasons at USC and one at Oklahoma State.

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