I'm not exactly sure what is going on with the LA Rams roster right now, but there appears to be a lot of tweaking going on right now. Traditionally, those subtle roster moves have resulted in a stronger group of players from top to bottom. But this year, that is not how it feels. The Rams are making a lot of roster moves, distancing themselves from players who showed true promise for future roles and development.
The latest move comes just hours after the team has assembled the 16-player practice squad. And now, we know that at least one more move to the practice squad will be forthcoming.
Just 20 hours after fans learned that running back Zach Evans was signed to the team's practice squad, they learned that Evans was released from the practice squad, effectively ending the team's relationship with the second-year rusher:
From a number's perspective, this makes some sense. The team is carrying four running backs on the active roster, so what can another runner on the practice squad add at this point in the season? And with the team essentially facing the start of the 2024 NFL season with just two quarterbacks, I would not be the least bit surprised if the team signs another quarterback to the practice squad if only to carry the team through the first two games.
But is there an undercurrent at work here? The team seemed to flip from glowing positive reports on several players to suddenly parting ways with them unceremoniously. I don't think we can attribute these decisions to underperformance. Despite being young players on their rookie contracts, Ernest Jone and Zach Evans were both developing in a positive direction.
As the team improves, the bar of contributing gets higher. I understand that concept fully. But it seems that more and more frequently, this team has a sudden and irrevocable change of heart over players who seemed to have met expectations.
I hope nothing more alarming is underfoot. This team depends heavily on chemistry and passion to succeed in 2024. If a growing number of players are disgruntled, then Houston, we have a problem.
Thanks for reading.