These guys are Los Angeles Rams, unless someone else calls. They are members of the 17-man practice squad. Yes, most NFL practice squads are 16 players, but the Rams are in the international practice player program, so they have a 17th player.
Practice squad rules are complex, but basically, these players practice with the team, they can be activated on game day a certain number of times (three) before they have to be promoted to the active roster. The beauty of the practice squad is everyone is also sort of a free agent too. Any other NFL team can sign a guy off of your practice squad to its active roster….unless you put them on the practice squad ‘exception’ squad. The Rams have done that with two players.
Practice squads are constantly changing. Teams use them to stash players for depth, develop young players in case a need arises and sometimes keep players around just because they drafted them and want to give them every chance to succeed.
Of the Rams’ 2022 draft picks, four made the active roster, two are on injured reserve, one, Quentin Lake is on the PUP list with a knee injury and one is on the practice squad.
Let’s break down who is on the Rams practice squad.
Rams ’22 practice squad
AJ Arcuri, OT – He was the 2022 seventh round pick out of Michigan State. The injury to draft pick Logan Bruss probably opened up this spot for him. Arcuri is a project, raw. He played a lot in preseason, started the game against the Bengals.
Chandler Brewer, OL – He’s been a practice squad hideaway since signing with the Rams in 2019. He played in all three pre-season games. 6-6, 290 pounder out of Middle Tennessee State.
Earnest Brown IV, DL – Brown was a fifth round pick in 2021 and spent the entire year on the practice squad. The Rams are loaded on the defensive line, so it’s hard to break through. It will be interesting to see what the Rams do when another defensive lineman Bobby Brown comes back from his six-game suspension. It may be a numbers game for Brown.
Roger Carter Jr. TE – He made one of the plays of pre-season with a scoop and score touchdown on special teams against the Texans. He had two catches for 22 yards in preseason. He’s a rookie out of Georgia State. File him in the project category.
TJ Carter DB – A rookie out of Rice had five tackles and broke up a pass in the pre-season. He’s a depth guy for the Rams’ secondary. His name is Terrell. That’s important because….
T.J. Carter DE – That’s right the Rams have two TJ Carters on their practice squad. The Rams give this TJ periods on his initials. This Carter was a star at Kentucky and has been with the Cardinals, Saints and Steelers. He played for the Michigan Panthers in the USFL Vol. 2 this past spring.
Elijah Garcia DT – Garcia briefly went viral in the pre-season. He’s the guy Aaron Donald was ‘choking’ in a drill. Donald explained it was a gap contain technique. Garcia was an undrafted free agent out of Rice. He made six tackles in pre-season.
Daniel Isom DB – Isom was one of the players to turn heads in pre-season. He had the game-clinching interception in the win over the Chargers. He’s an undrafted free agent out of Washington State.
Jeremiah Kolone OL – The Samoan-born Kolone has been on the Rams practice squad ever since 2018. At some point, they have to fish or cut bait with him. He played college ball at San Jose State.
Jared Pinkney TE – The Rams love to have a lot of tight ends in the pipeline. Pinkney appeared in two games with the Lions last year. He had two catches in the Rams’ pre-season finale against the Bengals. He’s also spent time with the Falcons and Titans.
Trey Ragas RB – Another player who had some moments in pre-season, finishing with 75 yards in the three games and a touchdown against the Texans. He played in one game for the Raiders last year.
Brayden Thomas DE/LB – The rookie out of North Dakota State is a project. In a pair of pre-season games, he had six tackles and broke up a pass.
Austin Trammel WR – Trammel spent most of 2021 on the Falcons practice squad. He did some good things in pre-season, finishing with eight catches for 83 yards. This is his second season out of Rice. He’s an insurance policy that the Rams hope they never have to use.
Benton Whitley DE – The Rams got a long look at Whitley in pre-season and must have liked what they saw. He finished with seven tackles, no sacks. He was waived in the final cuts and brought back to the practice squad. He’s a rookie out of Holy Cross.
Exception list
Grant Haley DB – You can see why Haley is on the ‘no sign’ list of the practice squad. Haley can play both safety and cornerback and has been a starter in the NFL with the New York Giants. He’s also been with the Saints. The Rams kept the two rookie DB draft picks on the active roster (they didn’t want to waive either one) and put Haley on the practice squad. He’s a likely candidate to be activated a lot.
Jacob Harris TE – Harris had a season-ending injury last year after being selected in the fourth round of the 2021 draft. He can also play some at wide receiver. He’s in his fifth year, and has played a lot on special teams for the Rams. He’s another player who figures to make the active roster on game day depending on injuries and the opponent. He can be the Rams’ third tight end in certain situations.
International Practice Player
Max Pircher OL – The Italian-born Pircher is back on the Rams practice squad for a second straight year. He is the definition of a project. He’s 6-foot-7, 300 pounds and also played on the Italian National Team. He’s only been playing American football for a few years.
