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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.