Rams' 10-Man Practice Squad

The rules for the practice squad are quite confusing, so here’s a quick rundown. Players are eligible if they do not have an accrued year of NFL experience (which means they are on the active roster for at least six games). If they have an accrued season, they are still practice squad eligible if they were on the 46-man active gameday roster for fewer than nine regular season games during their accrued season(s).

Players are allowed to be on the same team’s practice squad for two seasons. They can spend a third season on the practice squad if the team has 53 players on the active roster at all times. Basically, this means that the player would have to be procedurally released every time the team made a roster move and then re-signed.

Here’s the list of Rams who have practice squad eligibility, including the list of players who have the conditional third-year eligiblity. It’s important to note that all of these players must clear waivers before they can be assigned to the practice squad, so obviously you can’t expect to see early-round draft picks, or maybe even a talented later pick like Michael Sam, get passed over by every team in the league and make it to the squad.

Practice Squad Eligible Players: S Maurice Alexander, TE Alex Bayer, WR Emory Blake, OG Travis Bond, DE Kourtnei Brown, S Christian Bryant, CB Jarrid Bryant, DT Matt Conrath, P Bobby Cowan, S Avery Cunningham, TE Justice Cunningham, S Matt Daniels, OT R.J. Dill, DT Aaron Donald, WR Austin Franklin, CB E.J. Gaines, QB Garrett Gilbert, DT Deantre Harlan, WR Jordan Harris, LB Aaron Hill, OT Sean Hooey, LS Jorgen Hus, C Barrett Jones, FB Kadeem Jones, CB Lamarcus Joyner, RB Tre Mason, LB Johnny Millard, WR T.J. Moe, OL D.J. Morrell, CB Greg Reid, C Demetrius Rhaney, CB Marcus Roberson, OT Greg Robinson, LB Etienne Sabino, DE Michael Sam, LB Pat Schiller, TE Brad Smelley, LB Phillip Steward, RB Trey Watts, DL Ethan Westbrooks, CB Darren Woodard, OL Mitchell Van Dyk, WR Justin Veltung

Third-Year Eligible: DE Sammy Brown, OG Brandon Washington, LB Lawrence Wilson

The expansion of the practice squad could have effects on how the Rams compose their roster. They theoretically could accommodate players from every position group on the squad, and if they wanted to go lineman-heavy on the practice squad, they could avoid having to place second-year offensive lineman Barrett Jones on injured-reserve as he recovers from back surgery which could keep him out into the regular season. In addition, they could choose to put rookie center Demetrius Rhaney, who is expected to miss four to six weeks with a bone bruise, on the practice squad and give him time to recover, as opposed to placing him on injured reserve and saving him for next season.

Also, the expansion gives the team plenty of roster room to have a third quarterback, presumably rookie Garrett Gilbert. Even if they don’t keep him on the 53-man roster, they could attempt to sneak Gilbert through to the practice squad and keep him around as the scout team quarterback, easing the workload of veteran second-stringer Shaun Hill. The roster limits obviously were too much of a constraint in the early part of 2013, as they only kept Sam Bradford and backup Kellen Clemens on the 53-man roster and had no QB on the practice squad. After Bradford’s season-ending injury, the club re-signed the previously released Austin Davis and signed veteran Brady Quinn, but shortly after, Quinn suffered a season-ending injury and was never replaced.

Most importantly, the Rams have built up a wealth of talented but raw depth at several positions (wide receiver, cornerback, and defensive end) and have depth concerns at several others (running back, offensive line, and linebacker), so this setup will allow them to both develop the players who have legitimate changes of developing into impact NFL players while also providing themselves with insurance policies at the positions they need protection at. Guys like wide receivers Austin Franklin and Emory Blake and cornerbacks Greg Reid and Marcus Roberson, who previously may have been competing for a single practice squad spot at their position, now have a shot at gaining a spot even if their competition has one as well.

Mackeyser wrote:

I got this sinking feeling that I’m about to be right about how badly the NFL sucks and I’m really going to resent it…

Yeah let’s hope not.

I think part of what Fisher in the press conference was addressing that. He seemed to be saying, yeah OUTSIDE the building, the things the press did could LOOK LIKE the “much-to-be-feared” (said zn with heavy irony) “media distraction.” But INSIDE the building, it was nothing like that.

Now watch someone in the NFC west pick him up….

.

Mackeyser wrote:

Hey, I rooted for Isaac Bruce with the 9ers… I got dizzy and sick doing it, but I did…

After breaking down his vids, I realized I’d root for him no matter where he ended up… well, the 9ers or Seahawks may be much… I’ll…wish him well if he ends up there… but I just got this bad feeling that Prisco and others are writing the narrative of why it’s going to be okay for Michael Sam to not be in the NFL at all… because he couldn’t make it onto the best and deepest DL in football, he doesn’t belong at all.

Talk about stacking the deck…

Well let’s hope you’re wrong about every bit of that. Including having to stare stupid arguments in their stupid faces (like the one you mention for Prisco). Though that;s wishful thinking on my part and part of me knows better.

Mackeyser wrote:

Well, the Prisco article, especially just STANK of authority… as if he’d gotten inside information… because you and I both know that Pete Prisco is writer and he’s no authority on football. So for him to make bold statements like he did is either really irresponsible or he’s channeling someone else with permission.

That’s why I think Sam may not make it. I don’t hold Prisco in high regard, but I just got this feeling that before we know anything about how other teams might want him for Prisco to just say “Sam’s not good enough” as plainly as he did is about as foreboding as it gets.

The article in question. Now that I have had the chance to actually look it over, I don’t find it as objectionable as you do. While it may be true that there’s some “conventional wisdom” out there about Sam which may enable teams to let themselves off the hook for not signing him, I do think this is Prisco–down to its flaws (including the fact that if you are going to say Sam’s sack against Sherrod doesn’t really count cause of the latter’s injuries, then you also need to show Sherrod is giving up a lot of sacks to different players–otherwise you have no point.) I think this is just Prisco.

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NFL Cuts Musings: Tape shows Michael Sam wasn’t good enough

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/writer/pete-prisco/24688426/nfl-cuts-musings-tape-shows-michael-sam-wasnt-good-enough-for-rams

rookie defensive end Michael Sam deserve to make the St. Louis Rams’ 53-man roster?

The answer is no.

Let’s put aside the social issue of him being the first openly gay player in the NFL and just focus on the football. Sam did some good things in the preseason, but he did it against backup tackles, some of the already-cut variety.

I went back and studied Sam’s preseason games and came away with this conclusion: He plays hard and has some pass-rush ability, but he needs a ton of seasoning.

One more thing: Undrafted rookie Ethan Westbrooks, who made the team, outplayed him.

Sam, who was a facing long odds as a seventh-round pick, was credited with two sacks against the Browns in Week Three, but the second one wasn’t his to be given. He did nothing on that play, and fell on the pile to get the sack. On the first one, he did beat Browns tackle Martin Wallace, who is an undrafted free agent who actually made the Browns’ 53-man roster.

On that sack, Sam looked like an NFL pass rusher, which is why I think he needs more seasoning. There is flash there, but that’s against backup linemen. I don’t think he’s explosive enough to win against good ones, although he did beat Packers tackle Derek Sherrod — a first-rounder in 2011 — for a sack, but Sherrod has been plagued by injuries in his time with Green Bay.

There’s also a play in that Browns game with 7:41 left in the third quarter that concerned me. The Browns have a first-and-goal at the 1. When I ran that play over and over again, Sam was so slow out of his stance that he was still down when the rest of the Rams line was already engaging the Browns linemen.

Those are the things that make me wonder about his explosiveness. Westbrooks, who is shorter and stouter, can turn the corner faster. He’s also quicker off the ball, which is why it made sense to keep him.

But all is not lost for Sam. I give him a lot of credit for losing weight to get faster before camp. Now he just needs to learn the tricks of the trade and work on getting off the ball quicker.

That’s why the practice squad makes sense. I would be shocked if a team claims him on waivers, which means the Rams will sign him to the practice squad where he gets to learn from good ones in Robert Quinn and Chris Long.

Projecting a Rams practice squad
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/11146/projecting-a-rams-practice-squad

EARTH CITY, Mo. — While attempting to predict a St. Louis Rams 10-player practice squad should be easier than projecting a 53-man roster based solely on the difference in numbers, it’s actually far more difficult because the players can come from a pool well beyond just those recently released by the team.

But we’re going to give it a shot anyway using coach Jeff Fisher’s comments about it as a way of instructing how the Rams will go about the process. It’s important to note what Fisher had to say about the need for bodies at positions where the 53-man roster is light.

“We may have to go heavy in the other positions,” Fisher said. “If you’re familiar with our roster right now, we’ve got five linebackers, for example, we need linebackers on the practice squad.”

Fisher also mentioned the injuries in the secondary and offensive line. They are also only carrying five receivers and two quarterbacks at the moment.

Here’s a guess on the Rams’ practice squad, which assumes all players mentioned clear waivers:

Quarterback

Garrett Gilbert

Running back

None

Tight end

None (for now)

Wide receiver

Austin Franklin
Emory Blake

Offensive line

Travis Bond
Brandon Washington

Defensive line

None

Linebacker

Lawrence Wilson
Phillip Steward

Cornerback

Greg Reid
Darren Woodard

Safety

Christian Bryant

Specialists

None

Well, I understand fortifying the practice squad at positions where you’re weak. But, if the Rams see Sam as just a victim of the numbers, I hope they place him on the P.S. instead of someone like a second WR. I’m not sure why Emory Blake is a priority.

I don’t agree with Prisco’s analysis. Sam looks like a natural pass rusher, and he’s a hard worker who has room to improve. I would think an NFL team somewhere would have room for him.

And they were not going to offer him an injury settlement to release him. Read into that whatever you want to.

That’s obviously Cunningham.

But how does that work.

Why would releasing him injured after week 1 be different from releasing him before.

CROMWELL21

Van Dyk agrees to join another teams PS.
Not ours.

Jim Thomas ‏@jthom1 25m
Rams signing OT Sean Hooey to their practice squad.

PA Ram wrote:

Jim Thomas ‏@jthom1 3m]
Rams signing DT Matt Conrath to their practice squad.

It;s not going like anyone predicted so far.

I agree with Dak. My thought on reading the list was to think I would keep Sam over Every Blake. I see WR #5 as basically a spare WR in case of injury, and then you keep one on the practice squad. I don’t think 3 spare WRs total makes sense. And I’d rather have a DE working to eventually replace Sims than keep Emory Black to replace Franklin after Franklin replaces somebody on IR.

Jim Thomas @jthom1 ·
Forgot about this one since he was cut in the first round of cuts. But S Matt Daniels is being signed to Rams practice squad.

Jim Thomas @jthom1
LB Kevin Reddick of New Orleans is joining Rams practice squad.

thotz from off the net

—

Guard

They didn’t bring back either Greg Reid or Darren Woodard. I would have thought one of them would make it to PS. The other thing is they didn’t like any of our own LB’s. They picked up two guys from other squads, and not any one of ours. I thought maybe one of either Steward or Wilson would come back. Lastly, Hooey and Washington are the O-Line developmental guys, huh. Don’t care for what I’ve seen of Hooey, but I guess Coach Bou must see something

Rams notebook: Team announces practice squad, but no Sam
• By Joe Lyons

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot…cle_fe98840b-eba7-5886-8a1b-d4664448886d.html

Like most teams in the NFL, the Rams stuck with the players they knew when it came time to stock their practice squad. But the team elected not to bring back defensive end Michael Sam, a seventh-round draft pick from the University of Missouri.

It was rumored that Sam, the first openly gay player drafted into the NFL, was headed to Denver’s practice squad or being courted by the Canadian Football League’s Montreal Alouettes. But league sources denied the rumors and Sam still is looking for work.

Of the 10 players named to the Rams’ practice squad Monday, eight were among the club’s recent cuts. They are quarterback Garrett Gilbert, wide receivers Emory Blake and Justin Veltung, safeties Matt Daniels and Christian Bryant, defensive tackle Matt Conrath, guard Brandon Washington and tackle Sean Hooey.

The team also signed a pair of linebackers who were in camp with other teams — Kevin Reddick (New Orleans Saints) and Denicos Allen (Carolina Panthers). This season, practice squads were expanded from eight to 10 players.

Reddick, 24, was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Saints shortly after the 2013 draft. He played on special teams a year ago, finishing with 12 tackles and two forced fumbles. The 6-foot-3, 246-pounder was an All-Atlantic Coast Conference performer as a senior at North Carolina, leading the conference in tackles for loss (18½). He had five tackles in the preseason for New Orleans.

Allen, a 5-11, 225-pounder from Michigan State, signed with the Panthers shortly after this year’s draft. He was a three-year starter in college for the Spartans, finishing third in career tackles for loss and sixth in career sacks. Allen had three tackles in the preseason.

Gilbert, from SMU, was drafted in the sixth round of May’s draft by the Rams.

Blake, the son of former NFL quarterback Jeff Blake, spent the 2013 season on the Rams’ practice squad. He played at Auburn, where he finished fifth in career touchdowns and became just the ninth receiver to record 100 career catches.

Veltung was claimed off waivers during last year’s training camp and spent most of the season on the practice squad. He had some success late last season as a punt returner, averaging 8.7 yards on seven returns.

Daniels, signed as an undrafted free agent in 2012, is a player with smarts, skill and tough luck. In 2012 (knee) and 2013 (ankle), his season was cut short by injury. Then, in this year’s preseason opener, he suffered a concussion.

A seventh-round pick in May, Bryant had his senior season at Ohio State cut short by a fractured ankle and got off to a slow start with the Rams. But he showed some ability in the preseason and could benefit greatly as a developmental player.

Conrath has been with the Rams since signing as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2012. He played one game that season and eight last year, finishing with 11 tackles, a sack and a pass defended. He was slowed this preseason by a shoulder injury.

Washington spent 2012 on the Rams’ practice squad and split time between there and the inactive list last year. He made his NFL debut in the regular-season finale last year in Seattle.

Hooey, a 6-foot-9, 304-pounder from the University of Cincinnati, spent last year on the practice squad.

NFL TRAVEL

The Rams, at 16,046 miles, are 13th in projected NFL travel mileage during the coming season.

The list is headed by the Oakland Raiders, who are set to travel 36,078 miles. A trip around the world is 25,000. Others in the top five are Miami (24,740), Dallas (24,530), Seattle (23,916) and Jacksonville (21,964).

The five teams that will stay closest to home this season are Pittsburgh (5,918 miles), Cleveland (6,050), Chicago (7,052), Carolina (7,398) and Tennessee (7,870). By division, the AFC West is the runaway winner — or is it loser? — with 91,062 miles to be covered this season.

The AFC East (72,114) is second, followed by the NFC West (70,458), the NFC East (68,782), AFC South (54,956), NFC South (45,534), NFC North (43,225) and AFC South (31,170).

The mileage total for the NFL in 2014 is 477,304 miles.

RAM-BLINGS

A day after being cut by the Arizona Cardinals, Hazelwood East High and Murray State University receiver/kick returner Walter Powell was claimed off waivers by the New York Jets. Powell, younger brother of former Rams receiver Brandon Williams, was a sixth-round draft pick by the Cardinals in May.

Among the players signed to practice squads Monday were:

• Former Missouri running back Henry Josey, by Jacksonville and wide receiver Marcus Lucas, by Carolina.

• Ex-Illinois standouts linebacker Jonathan Brown by Arizona, defensive end/linebacker Justin Staples, by Cleveland, and wide receiver Ryan Lankford, by Indianapolis.

• Old Dominion guard T.J. Morrell, by Buffalo. Morrell was in camp with the Rams.

• Running back Daryl Richardson, who opened last season as the Rams’ starter, by the Jets.

• Linebacker/defensive end Kenneth Boatright, a Southern Illinois UniversityCarbondale product, by Dallas.

• Running back Michael Hill, from Missouri Western, by Green Bay.

• Defensive back Brandon Dixon, who played at Northwest Missouri, by Tampa Bay.

Jim Thomas of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.