Why Rams acted quickly to ink 13 players to Reserve Future contracts for 2025

The Los Angeles Rams 2024 NFL season is over. The team was defeated by the Philadelphia Eagles in the Divisional Round of the 2025 NFL Playoffs by the score of 28-22. It was a disappointing end to a season fraught with adversity and supported by outstanding heroics. In the end, the Rams fell just short of advancing.

Ultimately, 31 NFL fall short, and only one team hoists the Lombardi Trophy.

There is nothing new to that process. All NFL teams that fail to win the Super Bowl fall into the catch-all category of: "We'll get them next year!" The process of competing next season starts now. One of the first actions performed by every NFL team after they are no longer competing for the Lombardi Trophy is to sign practice squad players to the team roster for the next season via the use of Reserve/Future contracts.

The front office wasted little time in inking 13 of 17 players to Reserve/Future contracts for the 2025 NFL season. So who are they, and why are they important for the team's chances of success in 2025?

We've signed 13 players to Reserve/Future contracts. 📝⤵️
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) January 20, 2025

The Rams front office takes this step specifically to ensure that the next season's roster has adequate depth and competitiveness for OTAs, mini camps, and training camp. Players may either be young players with sufficient upside potential to grow into larger roles for the team in the future, or are veterans whose presence ensures that the team enters offseason negotiations with a viable Plan B option should contract negotiations break down.

The team signed 13 players to Reserve/Future contracts. They are:

The four players not signed from the practice squad are:

TE Nikola Kalinic
RB Royce Freeman
DT Kevin Strong
LB Rashad Weaver

The Rams opted not to bring back four players, and the team could have several reasons for making the decision. One primary reason is the expectation that the players would attract interest from other teams, and their availability for next season is remote at best. Another reason is that these players were added to elevate the number of players to a certain position to an adequate depth, and the team no longer needs that insurance.

But the final reason is that the team simply does not project these players as fits for the 2025 NFL season. That can always change, but whether it's the player's asking price, age, or skill set, something no longer aligns with the team's current plans for 2025.

Now let's discuss why the team was wise to retain these 13 players:

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