Turf Show Times
As the NFL preseason winds down to the third and final game, the Los Angeles Rams personnel universe is working overtime in preparation for the flurry of player transactions that will officially start right after the closing gun of L.A.’s final game with the Cleveland Browns. Coaches are strategizing over who and how helps best to build out the initial roster, while pro scouts glean over opposing teams registers, looking for possible gems that fit into the Rams schemes.
While training camp rosters are currently at 90 players, teams must reduce that number to 53 for the regular season. Tuesday August 26 at 1 p.m. PST is the deadline for all to comply. That is the hard line and many teams start the process right after their final preseason game, with names both officially tendered and leaked over the final weekend and right up to the deadline.
At its most basic, you either make the opening roster, or you don’t, but there are six basic subset categories for all players under that broad rule. Even though all the players trimmed comes under the heading “roster cuts”, there are six basic subset categories for all players involved, kept or released.
The opening 53 L.A., under Sean McVay, has been transparent when it comes to how his roster takes shape. During the preseason schedule, McVay doesn’t play, or in a few cases very little, any player who has been penciled in as starter or top backup. That would be about 40 players in 2025.
Rams examples: The initial roster. Projected starters on the offense, defense, and their backups, along with the core special teamer’s and three specialists. (Puka Nacua, Jared Verse, Josh Karty, etc.)
Reserved for players with less than four accrued seasons, it is the most widely used transaction. An accrued season is considered six games on an active roster, Injured Reserve List, or PUP List. Waiving a player puts him on the “wire” list with similarly designated players, making them eligible to be claimed by any other NFL team in a pecking order decided by the team’s previous season record— basically mirroring their draft order before trades. One caveat: If the claim is successful, players signed off the waiver wire must be elevated directly to the signing team’s 53 man roster. If a player is not claimed in 24 hours, he becomes a free agent.
Rams examples: Any players without three accrued seasons, L.A. has 40+ that fit the criteria, many are undrafted free agents. (Brennan Presley, Wyatt Bowles, Bill Norton, Nate Valcrcel, etc.)
Players with four or more accrued season are not left to the vagaries of the waiver list. When a veteran player is cut, he immediately becomes a free agent and is free to negotiate and sign with any of the 32 teams.
Rams examples: (David Quessenberry, Larrell Murchison, Troy Reeder)
While not the usual time to swing any real blockbuster deals,...
