Rams add another piece to the roster puzzle, as a WR joins the practice squad

The LA Rams wide receiver room is running a bit light of late. After starting the season with six healthy receivers, and planning to deploy their base 11-personnel offense almost exclusively, the team's two top receivers have been injured. In an offense with three receivers, one running back, and one tight end on the football field, someone had to notice the lopsided roster composition, didn't they? I mean, four running backs to staff one runner seems excessive. Three tight ends (plus one more on IR/PUP) also seems a bit heavy to fill one tight end spot.

However, six wide receivers filling three to four active positions on every offensive play fall on the opposite end of the spectrum. Not only due to rote numbers but also the fact that the Rams demand a great deal of physicality from the wide receiver group. The same group that must be ready to send four healthy wide receivers onto the football field is now down to just four healthy wide receivers.

That means that on any given play, all receivers on the roster will be on the football field. No backups remain on the bench in case of injury.

That, unfortunately, is flirtin' with disaster.

Well, help is on the way. Sort of. The LA Rams have signed veteran WR Quintez Cephus to the team's practice squad. That is a common path, as the team had already added DB Ahkello Witherspoon to the practive squad. Now, what can we interpret from this action?

For openers, Quintez Cephus joins the team's practice squad. That is the pattern for the Rams signings of late. It suggests that Cephus is merely here to bridge the gap of the receiver shortage until players heal up.

Cephus has not caught a forward pass in the NFL since 2022. It hasn't been for a lack of trying. He has tried out with the Detroit Lions, the Houston Texans, and the Buffalo Bills since that time, never managing to 'stick' on an NFL roster. So what makes him intriguing for the Rams roster? Here are a few reasons:

(1) He is the right size for the Rams receiver room - WR Quintez Cephus stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 208 pounds, That's right in the ballpark of every other receiver on this roster not named Tutu Atwell.

(2) He has a history with QB Matthew Stafford - Quintez Cephus played the best season in his NFL career as a rookie catching passes from then-Lions starting quarterback Matthew Stafford. In 2020, Cephus hauled in 20 passes for 349 yards and two touchdowns. While not exactly game-changing, that type of production would be quite welcome in this offense.

(3) He is a veteran - Cephus has played three seasons in the NFL. As a result, he understands coverages, timing, and what it takes to compete in games. Despite not sticking with another NFL team since 2022, he still has that experience advantage to smooth out the highs and lows of the NFL roller coaster.

The front office does not have blank checks to spend for the myriad of roster deficiencies. Even if money was not an issue, the team has no interest in signing headliner free agents to the roster. In almost every injury scenario right now, the team continues to hope for a player returning to the active 53-man roster.

The Rams are down, perhaps way down. But they are not out just yet. Quintez Cephus is not a player I'd count remaining on the roster through the NFL playoff push. But he brings enough to the team to allow a full week of practice.

Perhaps he will fall into a larger role in the future.

As always, thanks for reading.