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Rams Sign CB Duke Shelley

September 1st, 2023 at 2:28pm CST by Adam La Rose

Not long after being let go by the Raiders, Duke Shelley has found a new home. The Rams made him a depth addition to their secondary, per a team announcement on Friday.

Shelley was one of several new corners brought in by the Raiders this offseason after their pass defense struggled in 2022. The 26-year-old did not have an impressive training camp, however, and he found himself out of contention for a starting role as final roster cuts loomed.

It thus came as little surprise that Shelley was among the vested veterans released by Vegas on Tuesday as they set their initial 53-man roster. Unlike players with less than four years of service time, Shelley was not subject to waivers and therefore eligible to sign on the Raiders’ practice squad or another team’s active roster at any time. He has not needed to wait long to find a new opportunity.

The former Bears sixth-rounder spent three years in Chicago, seeing a considerable jump in playing time with each passing season. He remained in the NFC North last year with the Vikings, during which time he started five of 11 contests and recorded his first career interception. Shelley also took a step forward in terms his coverage statistics, allowing a passer rating of 55.2 when targeted. He was nevertheless a member of a Minnesota secondary which understandably saw a number of changes made to it this offseason.

After failing to secure a full-time spot in Vegas, Shelley will attempt to do so with the Rams. As is the case at a number of positions, Los Angeles does not have any big-money commitments at the CB spot with Jalen Ramsey no longer in the picture. Shelley will be competing for playing time amongst the likes of Cobie Durant, Derion Kendrick, Ahkello Witherspoon, Shaun Jolly and sixth-round rookie Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson.

DL Notes: Donald, Jones, Young, Cowboys

September 1st, 2023 at 12:35pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Rams moving on from a wave of defensive starters this offseason could soon call Aaron Donald‘s status into question. No notable Donald trade noise has circulated just yet, but with the Rams retooling, those would not surprise. Donald’s landmark extension runs through 2024, but the guarantees on that $31.7MM-per-year deal end this year. Donald’s contract includes a no-trade clause, but it does not look like he will prioritize his hometown Steelers — either via trade or a potential free agency run. While the Pittsburgh alum may not necessarily rule out a stint with his hometown team, NBC Sports’ Peter King notes the all-time great does not have such a move as a priority. The Rams must decide on Donald’s 2024 status by Day 5 of the 2024 league year, when $30MM becomes guaranteed.

Donald, 32, threatened to retire last year but secured a landmark raise. The 10th-year veteran was not closely connected to retirement plans this offseason. Here is the latest from the D-line scene:

  • Chase Young is on the verge of returning to full-time duty, after a 2021 ACL tear and patellar tendon rupture sidetracked the former Defensive Rookie of the Year’s career. But the fourth-year Commanders defensive end is recovering from another issue. As a result of a stinger sustained in the first preseason game, The Athletic’s Ben Standig notes Young has not received full clearance to return and is not a lock to be available in Week 1 (subscription required). Young has not practiced fully in more than two weeks; he was expected to meet with a doctor this week. The Commanders declined Young’s fifth-year option in May, putting him in a contract year along with Montez Sweat.
  • Chris Jones‘ holdout has extended past the one-month mark, and while fines have piled up, the disgruntled D-tackle has indicated he would be willing to push this hiatus toward the midseason point. Jones reporting only to pick up an accrued season would certainly harm the Chiefs, who have relied on their dominant interior D-lineman for years. On that note, GM Brett Veach said (via Pro Football Talk’s Charean Williams) the sides have increased communication this week. Jones would accumulate nearly $10MM in total fines — from training camp fines and missed game checks — were he to sit out until Week 8. Andy Reid said Friday he has not been given any indication Jones will be back in time for Kansas City’s Thursday-night opener. Jones wants Donald-level money; the Chiefs are looking to pay him closer to the second tier of DT deals that formed this offseason. Quinnen Williams‘ $24MM-AAV deal tops that contingent.
  • The Cowboys appear to be planning to work in first-round Mazi Smith slowly. The Michigan product is expected to be a rotational player to begin his career, with The Athletic’s Jon Machota and Saad Yousuf noting Johnathan Hankins and Osa Odighizuwa are likely to be team’s defensive tackle starters in Week 1. Smith, however, will obviously be expected to move into the starting lineup early in his career.
  • Joseph Ossai‘s status for the Bengals‘ opener is up in the air due to a high ankle sprain, Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer notes. The third-year defensive end is unlikely to suit up against the Browns, per Conway. While Ossai has shown some promise, injuries have continued to intervene. The 2021 third-round pick missed his entire rookie year and, after playing through a torn labrum late last year, underwent offseason surgery. The Bengals are deeper at D-end now, having drafted Myles Murphy in Round 1 to join Trey Hendrickson and Sam Hubbard.

Rams Sign K Brett Maher To Practice Squad

August 31st, 2023 at 1:21pm CST by Sam Robinson

AUGUST 31: The Rams still do not have a kicker on their active roster, but they now carry one on their practice squad. Maher’s deal is a P-squad agreement, the team announced. The veteran specialist is a clear candidate to begin the season as Los Angeles’ kicker; that move would require a promotion or a gameday elevation.

AUGUST 30: After seeing the Broncos replace him with a trade for Sean Payton’s longtime Saints kicker, Brett Maher is on the verge of landing another gig. The veteran kicker is finalizing terms with the Rams, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.

The Broncos acquired Wil Lutz via trade Tuesday and released Maher, who had been the only kicker in Denver for a bit. Maher competed against Elliott Fry to replace Brandon McManus, but after Fry suffered an injury, the Broncos had Maher effectively competing with kickers on other rosters. Lutz, who lost the Saints’ kicking competition, won out and is back with Payton.

The Rams let Matt Gay walk in free agency; Gay joined the Colts on a big-ticket (for kickers) deal. They brought in rookies to compete for the kicker job but set their initial 53-man roster with that spot vacant. Maher, 33, is set to fill it.

Although this is a Rams team in a vastly different place compared to Sean McVay’s previous seasons, Maher should still be considered a short-leash player. He has managed to both make the most 60-plus-yard field goals in NFL history (four) and miss five extra points in a single playoff run. Maher’s four misses in Tampa did not affect Dallas’ wild-card effort, but he missed another PAT in a close loss to San Francisco.

Wednesday NFL Transactions: NFC West

August 30th, 2023 at 3:27pm CST by Sam Robinson

Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline Tuesday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters. In addition to waiver claims, teams can begin constructing their 16-man practice squads today. These 49ers, Cardinals, Rams and Seahawks moves are noted below.

Arizona Cardinals

Claimed:

Waived:

Signed to practice squad:

Los Angeles Rams

Claimed:

Waived:

Signed to practice squad:

San Francisco 49ers

Placed on IR:

Signed: 

Claimed:

Waived:

Signed to practice squad:

Seattle Seahawks

Claimed:

Waived:

Signed to practice squad: 

Rams Cut Down To 53 Players

August 29th, 2023 at 9:44pm CST by Ely Allen

The Rams did a bit of work yesterday in moving towards the 53-man deadline. Here are the additional moves the team made today to get down to the max roster number to start the season:

Waived:

Waived/injured:

Released:

It appears that fourth-round rookie draft pick Stetson Bennett won out in the battle for the backup quarterback job, leading to the expendability of Rypien and Winn. Youth similarly won out at the running back spot as rookie Zach Evans and second year backs Kyren Williams and Ronnie Rivers beat out the veteran backup in Freeman. On defense, Copeland is bit of a surprise after starting nine games last year for the Rams.

The special teams room is quite intriguing for now. The room was looking to hold three rookies before the above waiver of the undrafted Oklahoma State kicker Brown. Seventh-round rookie punter Ethan Evans and undrafted rookie long snapper Alex Ward remain on the roster, but without Brown, the Rams will need to look into adding a new kicker out of the free agent market. Or they may attempt to follow the recent trends and trade for one.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/28/23

August 28th, 2023 at 8:27pm CST by Sam Robinson

We are less than 24 hours from the deadline for NFL teams to trim their rosters to 53 players. Here are the latest moves teams have made as they pare their squads down toward the in-season limit:

Baltimore Ravens

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

  • Released from IR via injury settlement: DB Tino Ellis

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Rams Trade For Steelers G Kevin Dotson

August 27th, 2023 at 10:45pm CST by Ely Allen

The Rams are set to add some offensive line depth in former Steelers guard Kevin Dotson, first reported by Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. According to Brooke Pryor of ESPN, the acquisition comes via trade as Los Angeles will send a 2024 fourth- and a 2025 fifth-round pick to Pittsburgh in exchange for Dotson, a 2024 fifth-, and a 2025 sixth-round pick.

Dotson is heading into his fourth year of NFL play after being drafted in the fourth round by the Steelers back in 2020. Since then, he has started 30 games, mostly at left guard, establishing himself as a full-time starter by his sophomore NFL season.

After only starting four games while appearing in 13 as a rookie, Dotson entered the 2021 season as a full-time starter. After nine starts to open the season, though, Dotson suffered an ankle injury that would keep him off the field for the rest of the season. He returned with a vengeance in 2022, starting all 17 games for Pittsburgh at left guard.

It will be interesting to see if Dotson can compete for a starting job in Los Angeles right away. TCU second-round pick Steve Avila is slotted in as the starting left guard, while Tremayne Anchrum is penciled in at right guard. Avila should be given every opportunity to start as a rookie, but Anchrum, on the other hand, has only started one game over his three years with the Rams.

Los Angeles recently introduced projected starting left tackle Joseph Noteboom to the right guard spot as part their attempt to determine the best possible configuration of their top linemen. Noteboom has also never spent a full season as a starter, though, and bringing Noteboom over obviously opens the left tackle slot for competition.

If Dotson can come in and solidify the right guard spot, it could solve the problem of experience at the guard position and also keep Noteboom kicked outside where he’s been working. In the Rams search to play their best five linemen, Dotson’s addition should help immensely.

In Pittsburgh, the move comes with a bit of relief. Despite losing their starting left guard from last year, the team will save $2.75MM in cap money by trading Dotson away. Last year’s starting right guard, James Daniels, should remain in his starting role, while free agent addition Isaac Seumalo is the one who made Dotson superfluous in the first place.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/26/23

August 26th, 2023 at 10:33pm CST by Adam La Rose

Saturday’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Detroit Lions

Los Angeles Rams

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Mayfield missed all of last season due to injury, but he started each the 16 games in his rookie campaign the year prior. The former 23-year-old struggled at guard, which prompted a change in plans for the Falcons on the interior. They tried Mayfield at tackle this offseason, but that has clearly not gone according to plan given today’s move. It will be interesting to see if Atlanta tries to keep him in the fold via the practice squad if that option presents itself next week.

Covington, 29, could have provided experienced depth along the defensive interior for the Lions had he made the 53-man roster. The former sixth-rounder has 102 games to his name, including 20 with the Chargers over the past two years. Covington has also spent time with the Texans, Cowboys and Bengals, collecting 196 tackles and 9.5 sacks. He will now have a slight head start on many other players with respect to finding a new home as teams sort through their final roster decisions.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/14/23

August 14th, 2023 at 9:23pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Monday’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

  • Signed: DB Teez Tabor
  • Waived: S Aaron Maddox
  • Released from IR: RB Zavier Scott

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

  • Signed: T Chim Okorafor
  • Waived: T Jacky Chen

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tennessee Titans

Bartch started the Jaguars’ first five games last season but went down with a knee injury in October. The fourth-year veteran will give the Jags an option at left guard, where he started last season. A former fourth-round pick, Bartch also started 11 games in 2021. This marks a return for Tinker, whose NFL entrance came as a Jaguars UDFA in 2013. Tinker spent the first four seasons of his career with the Jags but did not see action in 2017, 2019 or 2020. He worked as the Seahawks’ full-time long snapper last season. Ross Matiscik has been Jacksonville’s deep snapper for the past three seasons.

Austin spent last season out of football but has 17 starts to his credit. Used as a regular Jets starter from 2019-20, Austin caught on with the Seahawks in 2021. Seattle used Austin as a backup. The young cornerback could not make the Broncos’ 53-man roster last summer. While a member of the 2022 Seahawks, Tabor converted from cornerback to safety. The former second-round pick played 10 games for the team last season.

Rams Considering Joe Noteboom At Guard, Shift Logan Bruss To Tackle

August 11th, 2023 at 11:42am CST by Sam Robinson

Rumored ahead of training camp to be holding four position battles along their offensive line, the Rams have made one notable change up front and are considering another. Their top 2022 draft choice is now at a new position, while the left tackle they re-signed for more than $13MM per year is not a lock to be Matthew Stafford‘s blindside protector to begin this season.

Logan Bruss is moving back to his college position of right tackle, per Sean McVay, who indicated this switch — which The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue notes (via Twitter) came about because of injury issues at the spot — will likely be for good. Bruss, who was transitioning to guard before ACL and MCL tears nixed his rookie year, is set to back up Rob Havenstein at right tackle — the Rams’ lone solidified starting O-line post coming into camp. The Rams chose Bruss in the 2022 third round.

While Bruss (25 right tackle starts at Wisconsin) is moving to a backup role, the Rams are also considering the prospect of Joe Noteboom not opening the season at left tackle. Introduced earlier this offseason, the notion of Noteboom at guard is now firmly in play, per McVay.

“We want to find the best five,” McVay said. “But I think every one of those positions is incredibly valuable and really whatever we deem is the best fit for the five players at the two tackles, two guard spots and center. But I think Joe is a guy that can start at guard or tackle and he’s played at a high level so players like him are very rare that have the ability to do that. … Whether or not he ends up doing that or playing tackle, we’re still kind of working through that.”

Returning from an October 2022 Achilles tear, Noteboom is attached to a three-year deal worth $40MM. The Rams paid up to keep Noteboom in the wake Andrew Whitworth‘s retirement. Whitworth’s fill-in at that high-profile blocking post to close his career, Noteboom attracted a free agent market that led to the $13.3MM-per-year accord. The Rams used a few left tackles following Noteboom’s injury — one of many maladies to affect Los Angeles’ O-line during a disastrous Super Bowl title defense — and one of those options (Alaric Jackson) is pushing the incumbent for the job.

Using the increasingly popular “or” distinction to denote a position battle, the Rams’ depth chart lists Jackson as a co-left tackle starter. A 2021 UDFA, Jackson made six starts for the team last season. But a blood clot issue ended the Iowa alum’s season.

Jackson joined Tristan Wirfs as Iowa’s starting tackles in 2018 and ’19. The lower-regarded prospect started as the Hawkeyes’ left tackle from 2018-20, earning first-team All-Big Ten acclaim in 2020. This did not lead to a high profile coming into the 2021 draft, but the Rams have seen enough from the 25-year-old blocker to give him a legitimate shot at unseating Noteboom.

A “best five” scenario may well involve Noteboom shifting to right guard, where the depth chart lists Tremayne Anchrum — a 2020 seventh-rounder who started one game for the team last season — as the present first-stringer. With second-round pick Steve Avila set to start at the Rams’ other guard spot, Noteboom — who previously played guard before settling into the role as Whitworth’s apprentice — could return to an inside spot to accommodate Jackson. Anchrum joins Noteboom, Bruss and Jackson in coming off a season-ending injury — a fractured fibula.

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