The Los Angeles Rams announced that they signed 14 players to their practice squad including wide receiver Landen Akers, running back Otis Anderson, tight end Kendall Blanton, tackle Chandler Brewer, defensive end Earnest Brown IV, defensive tackl Marquise Copeland, defensive back Dont’e Deayon, guard Jeremiah Kolone, wide receiver J.J. Koski, defensive back Kareem Orr, defensive back Tyler Hall, linebacker Micah Kiser, linebacker Justin Lawler and tackle Max Pircher (International practice squad player).
All 14 of these players were with the Rams during training camp and the preseason but were waived when the team had to cut their roster down to 53 players. With Pircher being an international player, the Rams are allowed to have 17 practice squad players, so they can still sign three more.
Under the new practice squad rules, players can essentially go back and forth between the active roster and practice squad as needed, so it is important to have some experience.
Luckily for the Rams, they have plenty of that, especially with Kiser, who has played 25 career games with the Rams after being drafted by them in the fifth round in 2018. Lawler also has some experience, playing 16 games for the Rams in 2018.
Another notable name of the Rams’ practice squad is Brown, who they drafted in the fifth round this year. Brown is the only 2021 draft pick that didn’t make the 53-man roster, but it is good to see they were able to keep him in the organization to continue developing him.
Noticeably absent from the Rams’ practice squad are any quarterbacks or specialists like kicker, punter and long snapper. It will be interesting to see if they address any of those positions with the final three spots considering COVID outbreaks could still happen during the season and could happen to anyone.
