A member of the Los Angeles Rams’ Super Bowl LVI championship offense is staying in the NFL after a short stint on the open market.
Former Rams wide receiver Van Jefferson is re-signing with the Washington Commanders on their practice squad, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported. The move comes eight days after Washington released Jefferson during its final roster reduction.
The six-year vet, released by Washington Aug. 30, has 166 career receptions.
Jefferson, who turned 30 in July, joined Washington in March after spending the 2025 season with the Tennessee Titans. The Commanders gave him a one-year deal and a chance to compete for a spot in a crowded receiver room, but he didn’t survive the Aug. 30 cut to 53 players.
His return means the former Rams second-round pick will remain within reach of an active-roster role entering the season. It also extends a career that reached its high point in Los Angeles, where Jefferson developed into a 17-game starter during the Rams’ 2021 championship run.
Jefferson Back in Washington a Week After Release
Washington announced Jefferson’s release on Aug. 30 as part of a large wave of cuts. The Commanders then signed 12 players to the practice squad the following day, but Jefferson was absent from that initial group.
Fowler reported one week later that the veteran receiver was signing back with Washington via the practice squad. He noted that Jefferson has 166 career receptions over six completed NFL seasons.
The Commanders originally signed Jefferson on March 17. At the time, the team highlighted his 94 career appearances, 166 catches, 2,226 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns. He entered camp as one of Washington’s more experienced options at the position.
Jefferson was coming off a modest season with the Titans. He appeared in 16 games, made seven starts and finished with 29 catches for 350 yards and one touchdown in 2025. His best game came against Las Vegas, when he recorded four receptions for a season-high 75 yards.
A practice-squad spot is a different role from the one Jefferson held when Washington signed him in the spring. But he may have a path back to game action if injuries or performance create an opening at receiver.
Jefferson’s Best NFL Stretch Came With Rams
Jefferson’s connection to the Rams runs deeper than a brief stop early in his career.
Los Angeles selected him with the No. 57 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft, and he quickly worked his way into Sean McVay’s rotation. His breakout arrived the following season.
Jefferson started all 17 regular-season games in 2021 and produced career highs with 50 catches, 802 yards and six touchdowns. He also started all four playoff games as Los Angeles went on to win Super Bowl LVI.
The Rams’ official statistics show Jefferson finished second on the team in receiving yards during the regular season, behind only Cooper Kupp. He added nine catches for 102 yards during the postseason.
His role changed over the next two seasons. Jefferson was limited to 11 games in 2022 before opening 2023 with Los Angeles. The Rams then traded him and a 2025 seventh-round pick to the Atlanta Falcons for a 2025 sixth-round selection in October 2023.
That ended Jefferson’s Rams tenure at 101 receptions, 1,499 yards and 10 touchdowns across 49 games, with 39 starts.
He has since moved through Atlanta, the Pittsburgh Steelers, Tennessee and Washington.
The latest reunion with the Commanders is less prominent than the role he once held in Los Angeles, but it keeps the former Super Bowl starter in position for another NFL opportunity as the 2026 season begins.
Rams’ Former 800-Yard WR Back With Commanders Days After Release