Tuesday marked the deadline for NFL teams to cut their roster down to 53 players for the start of the regular season and with that being the case, the Los Angeles Rams announced they have waived the following players:
AJ Arcuri, Wyatt Bowles, Britain Covey, Tru Edwards, Jack Heflin, Tanner Ingle, Derion Kendrick, Brennan Jackson, Cam Lampkin, Dylan McMahon, Jamil Muhammad, Elias Neal, Bill Norton, Pooh Paul Jr., Brennan Presley, Mark Redman, Ronnie Rivers, Cody Schrader, Drake Stoops, Nate Valcarcel, Jordan Waters, Charles Woods
The Rams also released A.J. Green and waived/injured Willie Lampkin IV and Shaun Jolly.
Given how strong and deep the Rams’ roster is, there were some surprises here. Chief among them is Paul, who the Rams drafted in the fifth round. The linebacker has a lot of upside but apparently got beaten out in training camp by undrafted rookie Shaun Dolac and veteran Troy Reeder.
Some other notable names to get cut include Edwards, Ingle, Kendrick, Jackson, Pressley, Rivers, Schrader, Stoops and Woods. They also showed flashes during the preseason, but the Rams’ roster is a tough one to crack.
It’s important to note that this is just the initial 53-man roster and things will change throughout the season, and perhaps even before, due to injuries and performance. Hundreds of players across the league got cut on Tuesday, so perhaps the Rams saw a player from another organization they would like to claim, which means more cuts could be on the horizon.
It will also be interesting to see if any of the players the Rams cut will get claimed, which is likely considering there is a lot of talent there. If not though, a lot of them will likely end up on L.A.’s 17-man practice squad to begin the season in order to continue developing in the organization.
Rams’ initial 53-man roster
QUARTERBACKS (3): Matthew Stafford, Jimmy Garoppolo, Stetson Bennett IV
RUNNING BACKS (3): Kyren Williams, Blake Corum, Jarquez Hunter
WIDE RECEIVERS (6): Puka Nacua, Davante Adams, Tutu Atwell, Jordan Whittington, Konata Mumpfield, Xavier Smith
TIGHT ENDS (4): Tyler Higbee, Colby Parkinson, Davis Allen, Terrance Ferguson
OFFENSIVE LINE (10): Alaric Jackson, Steve Avila, Coleman Shelton, Kevin Dotson, Rob Havenstein, D.J. Humphries, David Quessenberry, Beaux Limmer, Justin Dedich, Warren McClendon Jr.
DEFENSIVE LINE (7): Poona Ford, Kobie Turner, Braden Fiske, Tyler Davis, Larrell Murchison, Desjuan Johnson, Ty Hamilton
OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS (4): Jared Verse, Byron Young, Nick Hampton, Josaiah Stewart
INSIDE LINEBACKERS (4): Nate Landman, Omar Speights, Troy Reeder, Shaun Dolac
CORNERBACKS (5): Ahkello Witherspoon, Darious Williams, Cobie Durant, Emmanuel Forbes Jr., Josh Wallace
SAFETIES (4): Kam Curl, Kam Kinchens, Quentin Lake, Jaylen McCollough
SPECIALISTS (3): Ethan Evans (punter), Alex Ward (long snapper), Joshua Karty (kicker)
