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Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-ra...attle-could-still-land-on-rams-practice-squad
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- Now that they've trimmed the roster to the league-mandated 53 players, the St. Louis Rams will join the rest of the league in putting together a 10-man practice squad during the next couple of days.
Keeping in mind it's difficult to project without knowing who clears waivers and which players from other teams might be available, here's one man's guess on how that could look for the Rams:
DT Louis Trinca-Pasat: An active, disruptive three-technique tackle, Trinca-Pasat was one of the team's most difficult cuts. He was ultimately a victim of the numbers game, but if he doesn't get claimed elsewhere, he seems like an obvious choice to stick around.
DE Matt Longacre: Longacre is essentially the defensive end version of Trinca-Pasat. He was very productive in the preseason and a difficult cut, but again, the Rams simply didn't have room on the roster. With William Hayes,Eugene Sims and Nick Fairley set to be unrestricted free agents after the season, the Rams could keep multiple defensive linemen as a way of planning for the future.
WR Daniel Rodriguez: One of coach Jeff Fisher's favorites, the inspirational Rodriguez would make a solid practice player because he's willing to do just about anything. His presence and the respect he commands even as a rookie in the locker room is an added bonus. If not on the practice squad, it wouldn't be a surprise if Fisher finds some sort of role for Rodriguez.
OT Isaiah Battle: The Rams knew Battle would take a lot of work before he could contribute, but it was still a bit of a surprise that he didn't get stashed on the back end of the roster. Still, it's hard to believe they'd throw away a fifth-round pick without at least trying to keep Battle on the practice squad. Even with 10 offensive linemen on the active roster, it stands to reason the Rams will try to keep Battle and hope he develops in a practice role.
S Jacob Hagen: Hagen showed well at times during the preseason but never had much of a chance because of the team's depth at the position. He gets a chance to stick around and earn his way onto the roster should injuries arise.
CB Trovon Reed: This could be Reed, Imoan Claiborne, Montell Garner or someone else but the bottom line is the Rams have only four corners on the active roster so they'll need at least another body or two here for practice purposes.
TE Justice Cunningham: Like at cornerback, the Rams simply don't have many bodies at tight end and Cunningham has played for them, knows the system and has special-teams value. He makes sense here and as a potential replacement if there are injuries. Fellow tight ends Alex Bayer or Brad Smelleywould also make sense in this spot.
RB Malcolm Brown: The Rams have five running backs on the roster, but with Todd Gurley and Tre Mason dealing with injuries, they can't afford to have one of the others hurt in practice. Add Brown's strong preseason performance to the mix and he lands a practice-squad spot.
LB Marshall McFadden: The Rams could use one of two exceptions on a player with more than one accrued season on McFadden, who gives them some experience and special-teams value on the practice squad in the event of injuries on the active roster.
S Christian Bryant: Consider this a sort of wild-card spot that the Rams look to use on whoever they believe is the best player they can get or keep, regardless of position. Bryant had some good moments in the preseason and might be worth another look.
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-ra...attle-could-still-land-on-rams-practice-squad
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- Now that they've trimmed the roster to the league-mandated 53 players, the St. Louis Rams will join the rest of the league in putting together a 10-man practice squad during the next couple of days.
Keeping in mind it's difficult to project without knowing who clears waivers and which players from other teams might be available, here's one man's guess on how that could look for the Rams:
DT Louis Trinca-Pasat: An active, disruptive three-technique tackle, Trinca-Pasat was one of the team's most difficult cuts. He was ultimately a victim of the numbers game, but if he doesn't get claimed elsewhere, he seems like an obvious choice to stick around.
DE Matt Longacre: Longacre is essentially the defensive end version of Trinca-Pasat. He was very productive in the preseason and a difficult cut, but again, the Rams simply didn't have room on the roster. With William Hayes,Eugene Sims and Nick Fairley set to be unrestricted free agents after the season, the Rams could keep multiple defensive linemen as a way of planning for the future.
WR Daniel Rodriguez: One of coach Jeff Fisher's favorites, the inspirational Rodriguez would make a solid practice player because he's willing to do just about anything. His presence and the respect he commands even as a rookie in the locker room is an added bonus. If not on the practice squad, it wouldn't be a surprise if Fisher finds some sort of role for Rodriguez.
OT Isaiah Battle: The Rams knew Battle would take a lot of work before he could contribute, but it was still a bit of a surprise that he didn't get stashed on the back end of the roster. Still, it's hard to believe they'd throw away a fifth-round pick without at least trying to keep Battle on the practice squad. Even with 10 offensive linemen on the active roster, it stands to reason the Rams will try to keep Battle and hope he develops in a practice role.
S Jacob Hagen: Hagen showed well at times during the preseason but never had much of a chance because of the team's depth at the position. He gets a chance to stick around and earn his way onto the roster should injuries arise.
CB Trovon Reed: This could be Reed, Imoan Claiborne, Montell Garner or someone else but the bottom line is the Rams have only four corners on the active roster so they'll need at least another body or two here for practice purposes.
TE Justice Cunningham: Like at cornerback, the Rams simply don't have many bodies at tight end and Cunningham has played for them, knows the system and has special-teams value. He makes sense here and as a potential replacement if there are injuries. Fellow tight ends Alex Bayer or Brad Smelleywould also make sense in this spot.
RB Malcolm Brown: The Rams have five running backs on the roster, but with Todd Gurley and Tre Mason dealing with injuries, they can't afford to have one of the others hurt in practice. Add Brown's strong preseason performance to the mix and he lands a practice-squad spot.
LB Marshall McFadden: The Rams could use one of two exceptions on a player with more than one accrued season on McFadden, who gives them some experience and special-teams value on the practice squad in the event of injuries on the active roster.
S Christian Bryant: Consider this a sort of wild-card spot that the Rams look to use on whoever they believe is the best player they can get or keep, regardless of position. Bryant had some good moments in the preseason and might be worth another look.
