The plan to get to 85 across the NFL has already begun for the Los Angeles Rams, waiving five players on Monday morning according to their transaction page.
By league rules, teams must downsize their rosters to 85 active players by 1 p.m. PT ( 4 p.m. on the east coast) on August 17. The Rams have already begun cutting things down by parting ways with three linemen, a linebacker and a placekicker.
Who was waived? Here’s a look beginning with the defensive guys.
Undrafted 2021 Rookies Among the First to Leave
Before training camp, there were 11 total undrafted rookies from the 2021 class coming to the Rams. Now things are down to nine for that group.
Maximillian Roberts and George Silvanic were among the Monday cuts. Both entered camp expected to add depth to the defensive line. But now the DL room is minus two guys.
Roberts saw limited action in the Saturday 13-6 loss to the L.A. Chargers, playing in 19 total snaps but graded out at 60.4 by Pro Football Focus. Before joining the Rams, he posted 4.5 sacks in 10 games during the 2020 season with Boston College, which was during his grad transfer year.
Like Roberts, Silvanic saw limited action on Saturday at SoFi Stadium as the left defensive tackle. The former Air Force Academy lineman was on the field for 25 plays and managed two tackles. PFF gave him a higher 72.5 grade. In Colorado Springs, Silvanic had a hard time getting playing time, with only one game of action between 2017 to 2019 according to his AFA bio. However, he squeezed in six games and snatched 34 tackles (11 solo) in six games during the truncated 2020 season.
Waived OT Was Picked Up Via Waivers Just 5 Days Ago
Ryan Pope had quite the turn of events in a five-day span.
On August 11, the Rams had picked him up from the waiver wire. Now, he’s one of two offensive players who were waived by the team.
In the loss to the Chargers, Pope only saw action on one special teams play. The Rams played seven linemen in that contest, so Pope never recorded any offensive snaps.
The 24-year-old Pope’s last start in a live football setting was on December 19, 2018 when he played for San Diego State. That contest was against the University of Ohio, which was a 27-0 loss in the Frisco Bowl.
Who Else Got Waived?
Staying on offense, placekicker Austin MacGinnis has parted ways with the Rams.
In Inglewood, the 26-year-old MacGinnis missed one field goal attempt. He also had a kickoff returned 25 yards. This now leaves Matt Gay as the lone PK for the Rams.
A former Kentucky Wildcat, MacGinnis first signed with the Chicago Bears on a rookie camp deal in January 2019. However, he then gave the short-lived Alliance of American Football (AAF) league a try, signing with the Memphis Express the following month. He also had a stint with the Dallas Renegades of the XFL before coronavirus wiped away the entire season.
Lastly, middle linebacker Derrick Moncrief was the only skill defender waived on Monday. Moncrief saw action on 21 defensive snaps on Saturday, August 14, but was given a 29.0 player rating by PFF. The 28-year-old Moncrief, who played his college football at Oklahoma State, managed to get two tackles. But he missed two tackles and in pass coverage, surrendered two catches for 19 yards with the longest a 14-yard reception.
Moncrief’s first taste of pro football action came in the Canadian Football League with the Saskatchewan Rough Riders from 2017 to 2019. He then signed a reserve/futures contract with the Las Vegas Raiders before being waived by the team in May 2020.
The lone time he was pulled up to the Rams’ active roster was for the week eight Miami Dolphins game.
L.A. Rams Cut 5 Players Ahead of 85-Man Roster Deadline: Report