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znModeratorznModeratorfrom https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/rams-sign-17-players-practice-204151530.html
Rams 2026 practice squad
By position
CB
CB Nyzier Fourqurean
CB Cam LampkinS
S Nick Andersen
S Tanner IngleILB
ILB Elias NealEdge
OLB Darryl Peterson IIIDT/NT
DT Tim Keenan III
DL Larrell Murchison (veteran)
DL Bill NortonOL
OL Austin Blaske
OL Blake Hance (veteran)TE
TE Dan VillariQB
WR
WR Alex Bachman (veteran)
WR Brennan PresleyRB
RB Dean Connors
RB Jordan WatersSTs
P Jack Bouwmeester (international)znModeratorfrom https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/rams-sign-17-players-practice-204151530.html
Rams 2026 practice squad
S Nick Andersen
WR Alex Bachman (veteran)
OL Austin Blaske
P Jack Bouwmeester (international)
RB Dean Connors
CB Nyzier Fourqurean
OL Blake Hance (veteran)
S Tanner Ingle
DT Tim Keenan III
CB Cam Lampkin
DL Larrell Murchison (veteran)
ILB Elias Neal
DL Bill Norton
OLB Darryl Peterson III
WR Brennan Presley
TE Dan Villari
RB Jordan Waters
znModeratoryer first reaction to AD joining MG
Who they gonna double and can they double both. If they double both they leave at least 1 of the “junior pass-rushers” 1 on 1 (depending on who stays in to block). If they keep in 7 to block, that’s 3 receivers against 7 defenders in coverage.
Or why not just rush Garrett and Donald and put 9 in coverage.
Next I can’t wait until Merlin Olsen comes out of retirement.
Then, Dick Bass.
znModeratorAlbert Breer@AlbertBreer
The depth of the Rams’ defensive front is what’s staggering …• Myles Garrett, Byron Young, Josaiah Stewart on the edge.
• Aaron Donald, Kobie Turner, Braden Fiske as attacking interior d-linemen.
• Poona Ford and Tyler Davis as capable run-stuffing nose tackles.
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"Myles Garrett, Aaron Donald, Poona Ford, Kobie Turner, Braden Fiske, Byron Young" @wyche89 listing off the @RamsNFL D-lineman pic.twitter.com/r4dW4OnvIU
— Good Morning Football (@gmfb) August 31, 2026
znModeratorBecause he joined the team so late in the offseason, the Rams were given a special exemption for their star defender. According to Tom Pelissero, commissioner Roger Goodell granted the Rams a two-game roster exemption for Donald. That exemption expires on Friday, Sept. 11, which is one day after the Rams’ season opener against the San Francisco 49ers.
Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap explained on X that roster exemptions are usually given to players who “come in late like Donald,” allowing them time to get acclimated and up to speed.
So what does it mean for the Rams? Essentially, they can keep him on the active roster without taking up a spot for Week 1 against the 49ers, and then they will need to make a move after that game.
Howard Balzer of Cards Wire clarified that this week counts as a game, even though the Rams don’t technically play until next week. And then after their opener against the 49ers, the exemption expires and they will need to make a roster move. It’s essentially a two-week exemption, not necessarily a two-game exemption.
znModeratorI have been saying for a while now that I think Rams will be a lot more defensively multiple than they even look on paper. Most players can do a ton of different things.
Add in a dude who won’t be easy to plan for anyway, now in a role in which volume is tough to predict…😳 pic.twitter.com/Z0oC5XcPSm
— Jourdan Rodrigue (@JourdanRodrigue) August 31, 2026
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Here they start with the Rams and cover them for a fair bit. It all involves Donald.
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znModeratorAaron Donald talks through the process that led to his return to the Rams
(Via YT/The Sporting Tribune) pic.twitter.com/XP5l9UwQv7
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) August 31, 2026
znModeratorAaron Donald didn’t have to return, but Rams’ defensive reboot made it hard to say no
Nate Atkins
LOS ANGELES — Aaron Donald walked onto a grass field at the Los Angeles Rams’ practice facility wearing his No. 99 jersey, back as a player for the first time since the 2023 season. He had a quick conversation with Matthew Stafford, began to stretch and let reality wash over him like rays of sunlight.
“It felt weird coming in and knowing that I’m an actual football player,” Donald said after practice. “Obviously, I’m always around, but to be like, ‘OK, I’m on the team,’ it felt a little weird for me.”
The return for this three-time Defensive Player of the Year is finally happening, after months of conversations and social media rumors, after talking to coach Sean McVay “damn near every single day,” and after what Donald called 14 weeks of training and thinking in an NFL mindset again.
Donald is back on a one-year, $20 million contract with incentives that could increase his pay to as much as $30 million, a league source told The Athletic on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to share those details publicly. And on Sunday, the day NFL rosters were trimmed to 53 players, Donald was back to launching his power into a blocking sled in individual drills.
Last fall, when Donald visited the facility the week the Rams were set to honor him during a Sunday night game, he said he felt no itch to return to football. He was comfortable in his new and growing media career, with a wife and children who were growing up with their father always around.
That was then.
The temptations began when the Rams’ offseason took off like a rocket ship this spring. First came Stafford’s announcement that he would return for an 18th season, fresh off winning his first MVP award. Then came a blockbuster trade for two-time All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie and the signing of his Kansas City Chiefs running mate, Jaylen Watson, to play outside cornerback.
And then the Rams pulled off another blockbuster trade with the Cleveland Browns for reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett, fresh off an NFL-record 23-sack season.
“That was a huge part,” Donald said. “Talking about the D-line room, you’ve got the interior guys and then you have B.Y. (Byron Young) and guys like Myles Garrett out here. I already thought it was a stacked D-line with (Jared) Verse, and then things transpired and you bring in a guy like Myles Garrett, a generational talent, and it’s like, that could be fun.
“Obviously, with what they did on the back end with bringing certain pieces to the secondary, I think this is a complete team with me or without me here.”
So Donald ramped up the workouts that have been circulating on social media since he retired. He reconnected with the speed trainer he’s worked with since high school. He started working the movements again and recording them all — “every cut, every hip flip,” he said — and saw something more than what was left in the tank when he retired. That’s also what his teammate Desjuan Johnson saw when the two worked out together for ladder and speed drills at the team facility this month.
“It feels like he even got a little bit faster, a little bit hungrier in a way,” the defensive end said.
Rams players and coaches encouraged Donald to come back in the spring. But come training camp, they left the process up to him.
“He doesn’t have to do this,” McVay said. “What he’s done throughout the 10 years, and I’ve watched him pour every ounce of his soul into this game and into his teammates. When you care as much and when you pour as much into it, that’s when you can say, ‘I’m full, and I’m complete after 10 years.’”
He didn’t have to do this, but a part of him couldn’t say no. That’s the place he arrived at two weeks ago, with his wife’s blessing and a season approaching with all the potential it could offer a roster like this one.
“The Super Bowl being back at SoFi (Stadium) kind of excites you, too,” Donald said.
Donald, of course, strengthened his legacy the last time SoFi Stadium hosted the Super Bowl following the 2021 season, when he pressured Joe Burrow into a fourth-down incompletion to seal a 23-20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals to help the Rams win the Lombardi Trophy.
He isn’t looking at that highlight, his 111 career sacks or eight first-team All-Pro selections as a past version of him.
“Do I feel like I can play at a high level? Yes. Do I feel like I can still be myself? One hundred percent,” Donald said. “If I didn’t feel like that, I wouldn’t be here. … If anything, it’s just getting back on the grass and knocking the rust off as far as playing football again, 11-on-11, working my eyes, getting my feel for the game, certain reactions and things that made me who I am.”
That’s the process Donald will undergo now. He participated in just individual drills Sunday, and he’ll need time to fit into a defensive line that has practiced for the past five weeks with Garrett and Young on the edges and a mix of Kobie Turner, Poona Ford and Braden Fiske on the interior.
They’ll certainly make room for Donald, but they’re not forcing the timeline, as his status for the Week 1 trip to Melbourne, Australia, to play the San Francisco 49ers is currently up in the air.
But he didn’t come back to be just a part-time investment, either. That’s why it took 14 weeks of workouts and flying a speed trainer to Los Angeles, and it’s why the Rams will pay him at least $20 million to complete their offseason overhaul.
“Once you choose to come back, you’re all the way back in,” Donald said. “You can’t be halfway in it. You have to be all the way in it.”
Now is the time to work, but it’s also the time to dream. Soon enough, Donald will be sharing a defensive line with Garrett. It’ll mark the first time in NFL history that one team has featured two players with at least 100 career sacks and a 20-sack season in their careers.
“We’re teammates now,” Donald said with a smile. “Hopefully we can do some special things together.”
znModeratorYou know what could help keep the Rams offense, which is older and less sprightly than the defense, fresh and uninjured?
Several times a game, when the defense gets a stop on downs or a turnover, the Rams should just go ahead and let the opposing offense try again. Give them another series. Maybe just 3 or 4 times a game. Or more, depending on the score.
That will help keep the Rams offense fresh and rested and healthy.
znModeratorThey just wanted to get rid of Atwell’s contract?
Atwell’s contract is only 1.4 M.
Odds are they are gambling that they can get Hunter through waivers and on to the practice squad. That’s the only thing I can think of.
znModeratorFrank Schwab@YahooSchwab
We all say that the Rams plan to limit Aaron Donald’s snaps and he’ll be nowhere near that full-time guy he was.Also, it’s possible he shows he’s still Aaron freaking Donald really early in the season and the Rams just let it rip. Unicorn players don’t follow the normal rules.
James Palmer@JamesPalmerTV
In Aaron Donald’s last 3 seasons for the Rams he played 90%, 89% and 81% of of the snaps on defense. He’s not going to play anywhere near that. He knows it and so do the Rams. They’ve have plenty of depth and have been working on packages, formations and ways to deploy him for some time to my understanding.Greg Beacham@gregbeacham
Sean McVay says the Rams haven’t decided whether Aaron Donald will play in their opener in Australia. Just taking his comeback a day at a time for now.Stu Jackson@StuJRams
Aaron Donald said he’s “been in a football mindset for the last 14 weeks.” He said training-wise, he put himself in the best position to get where he is now.Just has to get going in 11-on-11 to knock the rust off and get caught up with the speed of the game.
znModeratorCameron DaSilva@camdasilva
Wesley Bailey made the Rams’ 53-man roster after a dominant preseason, which included a 10-pressure game against the Saints.Ian (Rams Up Podcast)@RamsUp_Ian
No big surprises for the #Rams 53 Man Roster.Trost is on I.R. List,
Dedich is on P.U.P List,
Which is why you don’t see them on the Roster currently.znModeratorHe's baaaack 🔥 pic.twitter.com/bBsad7pic4
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) August 30, 2026
znModeratorIn 2023, the Rams were getting their edge rushers on an island by using Aaron Donald as a looper on passing downs. That's a terrifying proposition now that it's Myles Garrett coming off the edge. pic.twitter.com/Val48VPCDw
— Steven Ruiz (@theStevenRuiz) August 30, 2026
znModeratorAri Meirov@MySportsUpdate
The #Dolphins waived RB Jarquez Hunter, who they just got from the #Rams in the Tutu Atwell trade.That did not last long.
znModeratorAaron Donald’s back.
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znModeratorLA Rams set 53-man roster for 2026: Here’s who made the team
The Rams’ initial 53-man roster is set. Here’s which players made the team, sorted by position group.Cameron DaSilva
After two weeks of training camp, three preseason games, two joint practices and an entire offseason of work, the Los Angeles Rams have finally trimmed their roster down to 53 players. On paper, they’re arguably the best team in the NFL, boasting a star-studded starting lineup and a collection of backups who could probably be first-stringers on other teams.
That made for some incredibly difficult decisions, but on Sunday, they announced their initial 53-man roster. They kept three quarterbacks and a stockpile of wide receivers, as well as an abundance of offensive line depth – a necessity with some uncertainty surrounding multiple players.
On defense, the Rams are equally loaded, headlined by Myles Garrett, Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson. Oh, and Aaron Donald is back, too.
Here’s a look at their 53-man roster.
Quarterback (3)
Starter: Matthew Stafford
Backups: Stetson Bennett, Ty SimpsonSean McVay said the Rams were going to keep three quarterbacks, and that’s exactly what they did. Now to find out who the No. 2 guy will be…
Running back (3)
Starter: Kyren Williams
Backups: Blake Corum, Ronnie RiversTrading away Jarquez Hunter changed this group a little bit, leaving the Rams with only three running backs on the 53-man roster. They’ll likely try to get Dean Connors and/or Jordan Waters back on the practice squad, but that’s not guaranteed.
Wide receiver (7)
Starters: Puka Nacua, Davante Adams
Backups: Jordan Whittington, Konata Mumpfield, Tutu Atwell, Xavier Smith, CJ DanielsThe Rams are stocked with talent at wide receiver, even if their WR3 isn’t as clear-cut as some other teams. The Rams have options with Whittington, Mumpfield, Atwell and Smith.
Tight end (5)
Starters: Colby Parkinson, Tyler Higbee, Terrance Ferguson
Backup: Davis Allen, Max KlareThis has been the tight end group all along, and though Parkinson is probably the No. 1 option, all five could play meaningful snaps this season.
Offensive line (9)
Starters: LT Alaric Jackson, LG Steve Avila, C Coleman Shelton, RG Kevin Dotson, RT Warren McClendon Jr.
Backups: OT David Quessenberry, G/C Beaux Limmer, Dylan McMahon, Bill MurrayJustin Dedich and rookie Keagen Trost were both placed on injured reserve, which is why the Rams are carrying both McMahon and Murray on the initial 53.
Defensive line (6)
Starters: Kobie Turner, Poona Ford, Aaron Donald
Backups: Braden Fiske, Tyler Davis, Ty HamiltonThe Rams surprisingly announced Donald’s return just hours before the roster deadline, officially welcoming the defensive tackle back to Los Angeles. They were already loaded up front but now with Donald joining Turner and Ford as the starters, the defensive line might be the best in football.
With Donald back, rookie Tim Keenan III loses his roster spot.
Outside linebacker (5)
Starters: Myles Garrett, Byron Young
Backups: Josaiah Stewart, Desjuan Johnson, Wesley BaileyGarrett and Young will play the majority of the snaps this season, but Stewart is as good a young backup as a team could ask for. He has the potential to rack up five-plus sacks in a rotational role behind Garrett and Young.
Bailey makes the team as an undrafted rookie after dominating in the preseason and impressing his coaches.
Inside linebacker (4)
Starters: Nate Landman, Omar Speights
Backups: Shaun Dolac, Grant StuardDolac and Stuard are mostly going to be special teams players, though they’re also decent backups behind Landman and Speights.
Cornerback (4)
Starters: Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson
Backups: Emmanuel Forbes Jr., Josh WallaceWhat a difference a year makes. McDuffie and Watson stand at the top of the depth chart as the primary starters, with Forbes being the top backup behind them. It’s a significantly better unit than what Chris Shula had to work with last year.
Safety (4)
Starters: Quentin Lake, Kam Curl, Kamren Kinchens
Backup: Jaylen McColloughThe safety group is a talented, versatile one that features three legitimate starters and a backup in McCollough who’s essentially a hybrid safety-linebacker in the middle of the field.
Special teams (3)
K Harrison Mevis
P Ethan Evans
LS Joe CardonaThe Rams should feel good about their core special teamers this season, so long as Mevis picks up where he left off last season.
znModeratorznModeratorAdam Schefter@AdamSchefter
After two seasons away, Donald now will join forces with Myles Garrett, giving the Rams two of the top defensive linemen in NFL history.Sam Monson@SamMonsonNFL
Aaron Donald owed it to science to unretire and line up next to Myles Garrett just to see what would happen.Field Yates@FieldYates
My nuanced take on the Rams’ offseason is that adding Myles Garrett and Aaron Donald is good.Sarah Barshop@sarahbarshop
The Rams will be the first team to enter the season with multiple players who have won multiple Defensive Player of the Year awards, according to ESPN Research.Sam Farmer@LATimesfarmer
The unretired Aaron Donald is one-of-three players in NFL history to have won the Associated Press NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award three times (2017, 2018 and 2020)I asked Derek Carr about the possibility of Aaron Donald unretiring, which has now happened. He said Donald was the best defensive player he ever faced, followed by Myles Garrett and Von Miller.
What should an opposing quarterback do when facing both Donald and Garrett? “Pray”
Chase Daniel@ChaseDaniel
Myles Garrett, Braden Fiske, Poona Ford, Kobie Turner, & Byron Young.That D-Line line is truly going to be one of the best we’ve ever seen
znModerator1.
J.B. Long@JB_Long
In the wake of Aaron Donald news, the Rams announce their initial 53-man roster.…
2.
…Nate Atkins@NateAtkins_
The Rams announced their roster cuts just now.The big headline is Wesley Bailey making the roster after his giant preseason — even with Aaron Donald taking up a DL spot.
znModeratorErica Donald@EriDon_99
I let him out the house y’allMina Kimes@minakimes
Obviously remains to be seen what he’s got left in the tank, but when Donald retired in 2023, he ranked 1st in pass rush win rate amongst DTs. Garrett was 2nd amongst edges that year.Now they’re on the same line.
Jourdan Rodrigue@JourdanRodrigue
Here’s an inside look at the complex game plan the Rams will have for Aaron Donald and Myles Garrett: LINE UP AND GOBrandon Thorn@BrandonThornNFL
AD and Garrett together is enough to get excited about but now the hierarchy of the room also shifts so Turner is 3rd in the pecking order followed by Fiske and Young. That 5-man stack combined with D-coordinator Chris Shula’s simulated pressure/blitz/overload packages is scary.Ian Rapoport@RapSheet
AD is B-A-C-K: #Rams star Aaron Donald is coming of retirement to play for his old team with a 1-year, $20M deal with playoff incentives up to $30MAlbert Breer@AlbertBreer
Rams DT Aaron Donald’s existing deal had its final year knocked down to the minimum, so that’s what he’ll be reinstated under. It’ll then, I’m told, be replaced with an incentive-heavy 1-year deal (w/per-game roster bonuses, playtime & playoff incentives) that maxes out at $30M.znModeratorL.A. reportedly traded 2025 undrafted free agent tight end Mark Redman to the Green Bay Packers, according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz. Terms of the deal were not immediately reported.
Redman, 24, was on the Rams’ practice squad in 2025 after playing at Louisville in 2024.
znModeratorTom Pelissero@TomPelissero
The Rams are waiving rookie safety Nick Andersen, per source.znModeratorAaron Wilson@AaronWilson_NFL
#Rams waiving Larrell Murchison, per a league source. Will be practice squad once he clearsAdam Schefter@AdamSchefter
Rams are releasing CB Cam Lampkin.Underdog NFL@UnderdogNFL
Garafolo: Dean Connors to be waived by the Rams.Will be added to practice squad if he clears waivers.
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Jackson Durham@JDurham_FBall
Complete list of Rams releases/waives so far:
– DB Alex Cook
– LB Devean Deal
– WR Tru Edwards
– CB Steven Gilmore
– CB Al’Zillion Hamilton
– OT Bryce Henderson
– LB Nikhai Hill-Green
– DB Alex Johnson
– TE Rohan Jones
– DB Nate Valcarcel
– TE Dan Villari
– DL Payton Zdroik
– LB Tomon Fox
– LB Monty Rice
– RB Dean Connors
– CB Cam Lampkin
– EDGE Larrell Murchinson
– WR Tyler ScottznModeratorCarolina cut Miles Davis
I bet he’s a different kind of blue today.
But in a silent way.
znModeratoryren was on my sht-list because of his fumbling, but i have to say, he did ok last year. 2 fumbles I think.
His last fumble was game 5 v. SF.
Since then, counting playoffs, he went 15 games with zero fumbles.
Man, when the Mc/Snead regime decides to fix something, they sure do fix it.
znModeratorNo Country for Old Men is a modern masterpiece & one of the best films of the 21st Century. This won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director for Joel and Ethan Coen, not to mention Best Supporting Actor for Javier Bardem, in a year that included There Will… pic.twitter.com/7uu5akYYsO
— Cinema Tweets (@CinemaTweets1) August 29, 2026
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PS
My favorite Coen brothers films, listed in order they were released:
Raising Arizona
Miller’s Crossing
Fargo
The Big Lebowski
O Brother Where Art Thou
No Country for Old Men
Hail Caesar…
znModeratorPFF@PFF
Highest offensive grade by QB year to year since 2020
(min 300 dropbacks)2025 Matthew Stafford 92.0
2024 Lamar Jackson 94.9
2023 Josh Allen 92.1
2022 Joe Burrow 92.0
2021 Joe Burrow 91.8
2020 Aaron Rodgers 95.1znModeratorfrom Top 100 Players of 2026, Nos. 10-6: https://www.nfl.com/news/top-100-players-of-2026-nos-10-1
Rank 7
Puka Nacua
2025 stats: 16 games | 129 rec | 1,715 rec yds | 13.3 ypr | 10 rec TD
Nacua has made this list in each of his three NFL seasons, but this is his best landing spot by far. In 2025, the Rams’ No. 1 receiver led the league in receptions with 129, tied for seventh in NFL history, and receiving yards per game with 107.2, while finishing second in receiving yards and tying for sixth in TD catches. He had the most receptions for first downs (80) and 150-yard receiving games (four), helping the Rams get to the Super Bowl’s doorstep. Despite the off-field concerns that have circled Nacua, the All-Pro wideout’s on-field ability isn’t in question. Also a willing and tenacious blocker, Nacua is one of the crucial engines that makes Sean McVay’s offense go.
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