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Austin Trammell Austin Trammell Promoted to active roster
Sat, Sep 30, 2023, 2:38 PM
The Rams elevated Freeman to their active roster Saturday.
Analysis: Trammell has played 11 special team snaps in two contests this season. With this being the third time he has been elevated from the practice squad, the Rams would have to sign Trammell to their active roster following Sunday's contest against the Colts if they wish to play him for the remainder of the season. |
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Royce Freeman Royce Freeman Bumped to active roster
Sat, Sep 30, 2023, 2:34 PM
The Rams elevated Freeman to their active roster Saturday.
Analysis: This is the third time Freeman has been elevated by the Rams this season, meaning that the team will have to sign him to their active roster if they wish to play him for the rest of the season. The 2018 third-round pick has played exclusively on special teams in his two appearances and would figure to reprise that role against the Colts on Sunday. |
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Cooper Kupp Cooper Kupp Will practice next week
Fri, Sep 29, 2023, 1:49 PM
Coach Sean McVay said Friday that Kupp (hamstring) will resume practicing next week, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.
Analysis: The return to practice will open a 21-day window in which the Rams can move Kupp back to the active roster before he reverts to injured reserve for the remainder of the season. He won't be listed on official injury reports until he's on the roster, but McVay did mention Wednesday that he hoped to get Kupp back on the field when first eligible Week 5 against the Eagles. |
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Tyler Higbee Tyler Higbee Questionable for Week 4
Fri, Sep 29, 2023, 1:47 PM
Higbee (Achilles) will practice Friday as a limited participant and will be listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Colts, Stu Jackson of the Rams' official site reports.
Analysis: Head coach Sean McVay revealed Higbee's Week 4 game status Friday just a few minutes after the team announced that the tight end agreed to a three-year contract extension that guarantees him $17 million. The new contract and the questionable designation are both strong hints that Higbee isn't expected to miss much time with the Achilles issue, if any, and it also means he'll likely be back with the Rams in 2024 even if they dive into a rebuild. If Higbee can't play this week, Brycen Hopkins likely would fill in as the starter and might even have an every-down role, given McVay's preference for a lack of diversity in personnel groupings. Rookie fifth-round pick Davis Allen is the other tight end on the roster. |
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Ben Skowronek Ben Skowronek Questionable after limited practice
Fri, Sep 29, 2023, 1:42 PM
Skowronek (Achilles) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Colts, Stu Jackson of the Rams' official site reports.
Analysis: Skowronek practiced on a limited basis Friday after sitting out Wednesday and Thursday, providing some hope that the receiver will be fit to take the field come Sunday. Even if Skowronek suits up, he's expected to play a minimal role, having been targeted just four times through three games. |
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Tyler Higbee Tyler Higbee Lands three-year extension
Fri, Sep 29, 2023, 1:20 PM
Higbee agreed to a three-year, $27 million contract extension with the Rams on Friday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
Analysis: Higbee is one of the Rams' three remaining starters from the Jeff Fisher era and previously was scheduled for free agency this coming spring. A top-heavy roster with an older quarterback means talk of a rebuild may spark up again this offseason if the current season doesn't go well for the Rams, but Higbee now looks to be part of the franchise's future even if that happens. While he's never come close to matching his torrid finish to the 2019 season -- 522 yards on 56 targets the final five weeks -- Higbee is prized by the Rams because he's one of the few tight ends in the league that can truly claim competence as a pass catcher, run blocker and pass blocker. As for the immediate future, he missed practice Wednesday and Thursday with an Achilles injury, creating some question about his status for Sunday's game at Indianapolis. |
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Ben Skowronek Ben Skowronek Misses practice Thursday
Thu, Sep 28, 2023, 7:06 PM
Skowronek (achilles) did not practice for the second straight day Thursday, Adam Caplan of SiriusXM NFL Radio reports.
Analysis: The wide receiver emerged from Monday night's loss to the Bengals with an achilles injury. Skowronek caught one pass for three yards in the defeat. The third-year pro has zero starts and four targets through three games. |
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Tyler Higbee Tyler Higbee Logs another DNP
Thu, Sep 28, 2023, 6:42 PM
Higbee (Achilles) didn't participate in Thursday's practice, Adam Caplan of SiriusXM NFL Radio reports.
Analysis: Higbee has kicked off Week 4 prep with back-to-back DNPs due to an Achilles injury. With just one more chance to practice this week, another absence may spur the Rams to rule him out ahead of Sunday's game at Indianapolis. If Higbee is limited or sidelined this weekend, Brycen Hopkins, Davis Allen and potentially practice-squad member Nikola Kalinic could be bigger parts of L.A.'s offense. |
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Puka Nacua Puka Nacua Gets back to full participation
Thu, Sep 28, 2023, 6:31 PM
Nacua (oblique) was a full practice participant Thursday, Adam Caplan of SiriusXM NFL Radio reports.
Analysis: Nacua finally is back to handling all practice reps due to a lingering oblique issue, which first reared its head on the second injury report of Week 2. Despite the health concern, he handled at least 85 percent of the offensive snaps in both of the last two games and continued to produce, as evidenced by his 30-338-0 line on 42 targets to begin his career. Nacua will aim to keep it up Sunday against a Colts defense that has yielded the ninth-highest catch rate (69.6 percent) to opposing wide receivers this season. |
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Ben Skowronek Ben Skowronek Doesn't practice Wednesday
Wed, Sep 27, 2023, 7:47 PM
Skowronek (Achilles) missed practice Wednesday, Adam Caplan of SiriusXM NFL Radio reports.
Analysis: Skowronek is dealing with an Achilles injury seemingly suffered during Monday's loss to the Bengals. If the 26-year-old ends up missing time, Demarcus Robinson will likely be in line for more snaps. |
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Tyler Higbee Tyler Higbee Has Achilles injury
Wed, Sep 27, 2023, 6:06 PM
Higbee missed Wednesday's walkthrough due to an Achilles injury, Adam Caplan of SiriusXM NFL Radio reports.
Analysis: The Rams' passing attack has been dominated by rookie fifth-rounder Puka Nacua (oblique) with Cooper Kupp (hamstring) on IR to start the season, but Higbee has been a nice complementary piece with two games of 40-plus yards, including 71 yards during Monday's loss in Cincinnati. Unfortunately for Higbee, he's tending to an injury to one of the most-feared parts of one's body: the Achilles. As a result, his status should be monitored as the weekend approaches to get a sense of his potential to play (or not) Sunday at Indianapolis. |
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Puka Nacua Puka Nacua Still dealing with oblique injury
Wed, Sep 27, 2023, 5:54 PM
Nacua (oblique) was listed as limited on Wednesday's estimated practice report, Adam Caplan of SiriusXM NFL Radio reports.
Analysis: Nacua is no stranger to injury reports to begin his career due to a lingering oblique issue. It hasn't stopped him from producing on game days considering his 30-338-0 line on 42 targets through three contests. Nacua now will have two opportunities to get back to full this week before the Rams potentially hand him a designation for Sunday's contest at Indianapolis. |
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Cooper Kupp Cooper Kupp Has a shot at Week 5
Wed, Sep 27, 2023, 3:56 PM
Coach Sean McVay said Wednesday that he's still hoping Kupp (hamstring) can play Week 5 against the Eagles, Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com reports.
Analysis: McVay made similar comments a couple weeks earlier indicating that Kupp might return from injured reserve when first eligible. The coach hasn't gone into rehab or timeline specifics, merely noting Wednesday that Kupp was "ramping up his workload" and "progressing." The star wide receiver's eventual return will have even greater fantasy reverberations than anyone would've guessed a month ago, as fellow Rams WRs Puka Nacu and Tutu Atwell have combined for 68 targets and 584 receiving yards through three games in Kupp's absence. Both young receivers will see their target shares decline once Kupp returns, but to what extent isn't clear, nor is it clear if improved receiving depth in Los Angeles will prevent the 30-year-old from returning to his 11-target-per-game pace from 2021 and 2022. |
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Ben Skowronek Ben Skowronek Nearly invisible in loss
Tue, Sep 26, 2023, 2:31 PM
Skowronek brought in his only target for three yards during Monday's 19-16 loss to the Bengals.
Analysis: Skowronek found his only reception of the game at the start of the third quarter and was on the field for just 12 snaps through the entire game. While "Skow" is on top of the pecking order behind the starting trio of Puka Nacua, Tutu Atwell and Van Jefferson, that role hasn't led to much of an impact in the stat column through three weeks. |
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Van Jefferson Van Jefferson Hauls in one big catch
Tue, Sep 26, 2023, 2:18 PM
Jefferson caught one of three targets for 46 yards and rushed once for 4 yards during Monday's 19-16 loss to the Bengals.
Analysis: Jefferson's single reception was a spectacular catch past former Rams safety Nick Scott, but Jefferson was also the target on one of Matthew Stafford's two interceptions on the day. It was a season low in targets for the veteran wideout, and his usage has trended downward each week of the 2023 campaign as Puka Nacua and Tutu Atwell continue to dominate the target share heading into a Week 4 showdown with the Colts. |
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Ronnie Rivers Ronnie Rivers No usage on offense
Tue, Sep 26, 2023, 2:10 PM
Rivers returned one kickoff for 16 yards during Monday's 19-16 loss to the Bengals.
Analysis: Rivers never took the field aside from 20 snaps on special teams, as fellow running back Kyren Williams played every snap on offense for the Rams. Through two weeks with Williams as the lead back, Rivers has just four snaps on offense, a trend that will likely continue into next week's contest against the Colts. |
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Tyler Higbee Tyler Higbee Season-high 71 yards in loss
Mon, Sep 25, 2023, 11:14 PM
Higbee secured all five of his targets for 71 yards during Monday's 19-16 loss to the Bengals.
Analysis: Higbee acted as Matthew Stafford's safety valve with a pair of the Rams' offensive linemen going down with injury during the contest, and the veteran tight end responded with his best performance of the season. Four of Higbee's five receptions led to Rams' first downs, and he was just one yard behind rookie sensation Puka Nacua for the team lead in receiving yards. The Colts lie in wait in Week 4, but in their last meeting in 2021, Indianapolis managed to hold Higbee to just a single reception for eight yards, which may temper expectations a bit. |
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Tutu Atwell Tutu Atwell Scores first TD of season
Mon, Sep 25, 2023, 11:06 PM
Atwell caught four of nine targets for 50 yards and a touchdown during Monday's 19-16 loss to the Bengals. He also rushed once for 22 yards.
Analysis: A late fourth-quarter drive was capped by a one-yard score by the speedster, the only touchdown of the day for a Rams offense that mustered little traction up until their final drive of the contest. Atwell led the team in targets and tacked on a nifty 22-yard rush on the Rams' first drive that led to a field goal. The third-year wideout has posted a healthy 17-246-1 line through three games, and will look to keep his early-season momentum going in a Week 4 contest against the Colts. |
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Matthew Stafford Matthew Stafford Two more picks in defeat
Mon, Sep 25, 2023, 10:57 PM
Stafford completed 18 of 33 pass attempts for 269 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions during Monday's 19-16 loss to the Bengals, while rushing once for seven yards.
Analysis: Two of the Rams' offensive linemen, Alaric Jackson (thigh) and Joe Noteboom (knee) both went down with injury during Monday's showdown, and as a result the veteran quarterback was the recipient of six sacks, and was under constant duress for the duration of the contest. A late one-yard toss to Tutu Atwell helped Stafford avoid going without a touchdown pass in two of his first three contests of the year, a small consolation prize to fantasy managers who gambled on what looked to be a high-octane Rams pass attack. A beatable Colts defense is up next for the Rams in Week 4, but if Jackson and Noteboom were to miss time, it could be another tough outing for Stafford. |
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Kyren Williams Kyren Williams Uninspiring performance in defeat
Mon, Sep 25, 2023, 10:48 PM
Williams rushed 10 times for 38 yards and caught two of seven targets for 27 yards during Monday's 19-16 loss to the Bengals.
Analysis: Despite being gashed for 151.2 yards per game over the first two games of the season, the Rams chose to shy away from the run, with Williams logging just 10 attempts with a long run of nine yards. Williams also was unable to jell with Matthew Stafford as a receiver, as the offense as a whole sputtered out through the majority of the game. No other back on the Rams received a single touch on offense, however, a sign that coach Sean McVay trusts Williams to be a three-down workhorse for the time being. The Colts are up next in Week 4, and have been fairly stingy against the run so far this year with backs averaging just 3.5 YPC against them through three games. |
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