Predicting the St. Louis Rams’ 10-Man Practice Squad
With the St. Louis Rams having made their initial cuts to reach the 53-man roster limit on Saturday, it’s now time for the team to start thinking about who will be on their 10-man practice squad. This group could definitely fluctuate throughout the week, because head coach Jeff Fisher made it clear in his press conference on Saturday that the team will be looking to upgrade via the waiver wire, which would lead to additional players being released.
Obviously, the guy who many people want to see join this group is recently-released defensive end Michael Sam. It doesn’t look like that’s going to happen, however. First of all, you’d think there would be a decent chance that Sam will be claimed on waivers due to the fact that he performed so well in the preseason. Even if he doesn’t make the roster, however, it didn’t sound like Fisher was too enthusiastic about bringing Sam back to the squad at his presser. Fisher specifically mentioned needs at the quarterback, linebacker, and defensive back spots. Since the Rams have nine healthy defensive linemen, it’s probably not overly necessary to have a tenth around for practice purposes.
Here are the ten players who seem to be most likely to end up on the Rams’ practice squad:
Ideally, the Rams should get a scout team quarterback behind Shaun Hill and Austin Davis. Fisher stressed Saturday that he doesn’t find it absolutely necessary to have a third QB, but since the team invested a draft pick in him, they might as well continue developing Gilbert while also lessening the workload for their primary signal-callers. Gilbert is a guy who has at least a decent amount of knowledge of the system and would be ready to step in on the active roster should Hill or Davis get injured.
Franklin showed some flashes in the early preseason, and with the Rams having given him a signing bonus when picking him up as an undrafted rookie out of New Mexico State earlier this year, so they probably want to continue to try to make that investment work out. Along with that, they could use some extra receivers for practice since Stedman Bailey is away from the facility while suspended for a PED violation.
WR Emory Blake
Blake is another guy that the Rams have placed an emphasis on developing over the past year or so, and he’s got enough talent to become a contributor at some point. He probably has a good chance to earn a spot on the practice squad with Bailey suspended.
OL Mitchell Van Dyk
Van Dyk was a seventh-rounder in this year’s draft and can play both tackle and guard, so he seems like a guy worth developing. At 6-foot-7 and just under 300 pounds, he’s a guy who could become more powerful with extended work in an NFL weight room.
Washington is the wild card of this group. The guard/tackle has been on the Rams’ practice squad for two years, so keeping him on the practice squad would be somewhat of a difficult process. Because of his status as a third-year practice squad player, he’s allowed to be on the squad whenever the Rams have 53 players on their active roster. If they don’t, however, Washington has to be released, which means that he’d have to be procedurally removed and re-signed every time they make a move. The Rams obviously respected Washington enough as a player to keep him around until today, but it’s debatable if they see him as a good enough player to make it worth going through these tedious regulations.
OL Travis Bond
Bond flashed some nice ability during the preseason, and though he struggled in the preseason finale against the Miami Dolphins, he’s probably a guy worth developing. With the Rams already short on offensive linemen without Barrett Jones and factoring in that center Scott Wells has rarely practiced during the regular season in years past, they may need three offensive linemen on their practice squad to be able to have a full contingent for practice.
LB Etienne Sabino
Sabino, James Laurinaitis‘s former backup at Ohio State, was very impressive in the preseason finale and may be rewarded with a practice squad spot because of it. He has the versatility to play both middle and outside linebacker, which is important for a team that is so short at both positions.
Steward didn’t make a big enough impact during the preseason to earn a 53-man roster spot, but he seems likely to stick on the practice squad. First of all, Steward is firmly entrenched in the system since he’s been around since April of last year, and he’s consistently gotten work with the second-teamers in practice this summer. If the Rams don’t find a better backup option on waivers, Steward may be the next man up should any of the linebackers on the Rams’ initial 53-man roster go down with an injury.
CB Greg Reid
Fisher went out of his way to mention a need for depth at the cornerback position on Saturday. Reid, an undrafted rookie who was impressive this preseason, is likely to be part of the practice squad and provide the protection that the Rams need in the defensive backfield. In addition, he can also serve as an emergency alternative to Tavon Austin as a punt returner if the second-year receiver gets hurt.
Bryant, a seventh-rounder out of Ohio State, struggled to return from an ankle injury that had sidelined him dating back to his senior year. He performed well in the last preseason game, but it wasn’t enough to force the Rams’ hand and keep him on the active roster. He should be a quality developmental player on the practice squad and an emergency backup behind the Rams’ primary four safeties.
Players who were cut on Friday and Saturday clear waivers at 11 AM Central Time tomorrow, after which teams can begin assembling their practice squads for the 2014 season.