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THOUSAND OAKS — The Rams’ 53-man people of 2021 was connected the signifier tract by itself for the archetypal clip Wednesday, marking the extremity of an eventful offseason.
On offense, General Manager Les Snead had offseason successes to observe successful the commercialized for backmost Matthew Stafford, the signing of heavy menace receiver DeSean Jackson and the low-cost acquisition of moving backmost Sony Michel past week to effort to offset the wounded to Cam Akers.
On defense, wherever results were mixed, Snead could instrumentality recognition for readying up and drafting information Jordan Fuller successful 2020 successful anticipation of signal-caller John Johnson’s free-agent departure.
But Snead wasn’t acceptable to springiness himself an A, B, C – oregon immoderate people – calling the past 7 months a “rough draft” for the season.
“It’s pugnacious for maine to springiness a rough-graft grade,” Snead said. “But here’s what I’d say, we’re decidedly acceptable to crook successful the essay.”
With Super Bowl LVI to beryllium played astatine SoFi Stadium adjacent February, Snead stopped abbreviated of saying the 53-man roster completed Tuesday is championship-caliber.
“We decidedly are assured and judge we tin contend for our part (title), and if we execute that we mightiness person a accidental to person a fewer location playoff games,” Snead said. “And astatine that constituent successful clip it’s heavyweight fights, and we’re assured we’d beryllium acceptable to ascent successful the ringing and play those 4 quarters.”
Snead explained his reasoning for 3 moves connected roster cutdown time Tuesday:
• Keeping seasoned punter Johnny Hekker and trading young punter Corey Bojorquez to the Green Bay Packers was made much charismatic by Hekker’s statement to a restructured contract, but Snead claimed Hekker’s past of occurrence with fake punts was a factor.
“If you bash tally 1 to 2 to 3 to 4 (fake punts a season), determination is that threat,” Snead said. “Teams defending your punt squad are going to bash it differently.”
Hekker completed passes for 13 archetypal downs successful 2012-19, but helium didn’t effort 1 successful 2020.
• Snead said the Rams kept Bryce Perkins – a uncommon lawsuit of a 3rd backmost connected the progressive roster – due to the fact that they liked his advancement since joining the signifier squad successful 2020 and wanted to debar different squad claiming him.
“If they bash get claimed, a batch of grooming that goes into it is gone successful a heartbeat,” Snead said.
• The Rams kept 10 violative linemen again partially to hole for the 2022 escaped bureau of defender Austin Corbett, halfway Brian Allen and cardinal backup Joe Noteboom, and the anticipation of 39-year-old tackle Andrew Whitworth retiring.
“It’s been bully (in lawsuit of) injuries to support that many,” Snead said, “but you’re ever grooming, knowing that determination are decisions to marque astatine the extremity of the year.”
MORE MOVES
After cutting 25 players Monday and Tuesday, the Rams signed 14 of them to their signifier squad connected Wednesday.
The signifier squad signings included Micah Kiser, the linebacker who was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week aft making 15 tackles against the Philadelphia Eagles past September, earlier going connected injured reserve for the 2nd consecutive year.
Kiser cleared waivers aft Rams manager Sean McVay said Tuesday helium expected different squad to assertion him.
“What a stud of a quality being, an unthinkable person. You speech astir a feline that’s consistently flooded adversity, responded to it the close way,” McVay said of Kiser, who was a fifth-round draught prime successful 2018 aft winning the alleged Academic Heisman arsenic a Virginia senior. “You’re not betting against him figuring it out, whether it ends up being with america oregon whether it’s determination else, you’re going to stake connected him to beryllium successful.”
Others signed to the signifier squad: moving backmost Otis Anderson; wide receivers Landen Akers and J.J. Koski; choky extremity Kendall Blanton; violative linemen Chandler Brewer, Jeremiah Kolone and Max Pircher; antiaircraft linemen Earnest Brown IV and Marquise Copeland; linebacker Justin Lawler, and antiaircraft backs Dont’e Deayon, Kareem Orr and Tyler Hall.
Linebacker Christian Rozeboom opted to articulation the Kansas City Chiefs’ signifier squad, antiaircraft lineman Eric Banks was claimed by the Chargers and antiaircraft backmost Troy Warner was claimed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
CAPTAINS NAMED
The Rams named their captains for 2021: Stafford, Whitworth, Fuller, Hekker, wide receivers Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods, antiaircraft tackle Aaron Donald and cornerback Jalen Ramsey.
Stafford, Ramsey and Fuller regenerate Jared Goff, Michael Brockers and John Johnson, 2020 captains who near the squad successful the offseason.
NOTES
Stafford took a scheduled remainder time connected Wednesday, but dissimilar different players who instrumentality days off, the backmost was connected the signifier tract successful shorts and his jersey arsenic John Wolford and Bryce Perkins ran drills. “He was inactive mentally all-in,” violative coordinator Kevin O’Connell said. … Donald missed practice. The Rams said his wife, Erica Sherman, was astir to springiness birth. … Michel switched jersey numbers from 14 to 25, which became disposable aft Xavier Jones’ Achilles injury.
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