Rams release of 2024 rookie DL could be 1st of several roster moves

The Los Angeles Rams are making a rather curious roster move. Curious in the fact that the timing is a bit, unusual. Even before the team regroups to start the offseason workouts, the Rams roster is no longer home to 2024 rookie defensive tackle David Olajiga. Standing 6-foot-3 and weighing 315 pounds, Olajiga was one of 13 players from the 2024 Rams practice squad to be signed to Reserve/Future contracts.

David Olajiga hailed from Central Missouri, and signed on with the team after the 2024 NFL Draft. While he hoped to earn some playing time in his rookie season, the best he could achieve was signing on with the team's practice squad. He never found playing time, as he was not elevated for game day eligibility. And now, he is parting ways from the team before the real work begins:

So why release David Olajiga now?

The Rams have not hit their 90-player roster limit just yet. Even before Olajiga's release, the Rams' roster was only projected to be at 87 players. Now, after this news, the team is only at 86 projected players. And the release of David Olajiga cannot be considered a salary cap move, because his compensation fell below the Top-51 player threshold used to calculate the offseason salary cap.

But with the arrival of rookies Ty Hamilton, Bill Norton, and Da'Jon Terry, the move does suggest that the team is comfortable enough with incoming players to shave the number of defensive linemen now. It's always a subtle vote of confidence in the quality of incoming rookies.

The Rams front office is not done just yet. With four open roster slots, the team is likely vetting the best fits in key positions for the 2025 NFL season. And I would not rule out the team signing another defensive lineman to take Olajiga's vacated roster spot.

This may be the first of several roster transactions in the coming days. And it's better to shape the roster to it's optimal form before the team gets too far into training camp. The Rams need to get out to a much faster start in 2025 than the previous two seasons. And to do that, this team will need to have a good handle on who will, and who will not, be able to contribute this season.

As always, thanks for reading.

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