JANUARY 10: The Rams will end up using their final IR activation on Shelley. Announcing the veteran cornerback’s activation Wednesday, the Rams join the Dolphins and Texans as playoff squads who have used all eight of their IR-return moves this season.
JANUARY 3: Duke Shelley is set to make his return. The Rams announced that they’ve designated the defensive back for return from injured reserve.
With Shelley returning to practice today, the Rams officially kicked off his 21-day window to be activated. The veteran has been on injured reserve since late November while recovering from a hamstring injury.
After spending the preseason with the Raiders, Shelley caught on with the Rams active roster prior to the start of the 2023 campaign. Prior to his injury, Shelley appeared in all 11 games for the Rams, with the majority of his snaps coming on special teams. In total, Shelley had collected eight tackles, two passes defended, and one fumble recovery during his time in Los Angeles.
When Shelley is ultimately activated from IR, he’ll have a tough time garnering much playing time behind Ahkello Witherspoon, Derion Kendrick, and Cobie Durant. He’ll face some competition from rookie Tre Tomlinson for the fourth spot on the depth chart.
As our Injured Reserve Return Tracker shows, the Rams only have one IR activation remaining. Assuming that goes to Shelley, the team won’t be allowed to activate any more players this season.
Rams activate the DUKE !!
That’s About The Size of it, Kid !!