The Los Angeles Rams front office drafted Sam Rogers in April, but relegating him to practice squad reveals poor value
The Los Angeles Rams front office made draft pick Sam Rogers a feel-good story back in April. Now he is simply an over-valued practice-squad player.
Some of the cuts the Rams made to trim their roster from 90 to 53 on Saturday were surprising. Cornerback Michael Jordan had made some plays during the preseason. Running back Aaron Green appeared to be safe because of the injury to Lance Dunbar. Nose tackle Mike Purcell had been a part-time starter in San Francisco. His value seemed to be on the rise with Aaron Donald’s absence.
The most disappointing cut, however, was that of fullback Rogers, whom the Rams selected in the sixth round of the 2017 NFL Draft. He was the 206th pick overall. They did, at least, put him on their practice squad. But the Rams are in need of a talent infusion. They can’t afford to keep missing on draft choices.
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They also waived 2016 sixth-round pick Josh Forrest, although they were able to put him on injured reserve after he cleared waivers. None of their final four draft choices from 2015 are on the L.A. squad. The Rams took those four in the sixth and seventh rounds.
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And of the 11 draft picks the Rams made in 2014, only three are still on the squad. That includes holdout Aaron Donald. But E.J. Gaines was part of the deal that drew Sammy Watkins to Los Angeles, so that pick was productive.
As for Rogers, a former walk-on at Virginia Tech, he quickly had made a strong impression, according to The Rams Wire.
"“Rogers was a name many fans became familiar with because of his work ethic in training camp. He was always one of the first guys on the practice field and one of the last to leave. …”"
But then Rams Wire added the following curious statement.
"However, it’s clear Sean McVay values tight ends over fullbacks – as many coaches do."
If that’s true, why did the Rams waste a pick on Rogers? They already had limited picks due to the Jared Goff deal in 2016. The Rams front office also has shown a lack of foresight in signing underachieving wide receiver Tavon Austin to a four-year, $42.5 million deal, knowing that the overachieving Donald would be in Austin’s position one year later.
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They also put the franchise tag on cornerback Trumaine Johnson, paying him $16.7 million. He is the highest-paid cornerback in the league, but has yet to earn a Pro Bowl invite.
Putting Rogers, a late draft pick, on the practice squad isn’t a huge deal in itself. But it is a part of a continuing pattern of puzzling decisions from the Rams front office.