Alex Ward - Pro Football Rumors

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/12/23

December 12th, 2023 at 8:17pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Cleveland Browns

Signed to active roster: DE Sam Kamara

Green Bay Packers

Waived: CB Kyu Blu Kelly

Las Vegas Raiders

Signed to active roster: OT Brandon Parker
Placed on IR: LB Kana’i Mauga

Los Angeles Chargers

Signed to active roster: QB Max Duggan

Los Angeles Rams

Signed: LS Carson Tinker
Placed on IR: TE Hunter Long (story), LS Alex Ward

With Justin Herbert landing on IR, the Chargers have added some depth to the roster in Max Duggan. The rookie seventh-round pick landed on the team’s practice squad after the preseason, and he’s spent the entire season off the active roster. He’ll now have a chance at some game action, although Easton Stick is expected to get the first shot at the starting gig.

Duggan spent four years as TCU’s starter, culminating in a breakout senior campaign where he went 12-2 while tossing 32 touchdowns vs. eight interceptions. That performance helped his draft stock, with the Chargers making him the last QB off the board during the 2023 draft.

Rams Sign 26-Man UDFA Class

May 3rd, 2023 at 9:57pm CST by Ely Allen

The Rams continue adding to a massive rookie class. After drafting 14 prospects last weekend, Los Angeles has announced the signing of a prodigious 26 undrafted free agents:

LB Kelechi Anyalebechi, Incarnate Word
K Tanner Brown, Oklahoma State
WR Braxton Burmeister, San Diego State
CB Timarcus Davis, Arizona State
CB Tyon Davis, Tulsa
S Collin Duncan, Mississippi State
K Christopher Dunn, NC State
RB Tiyon Evans, Louisville
WR Tyler Hudson, Louisville
S Tanner Ingle, NC State
WR Sam James, West Virginia
OLB Matthew Jester, Princeton
S Quindell Johnson, Memphis
CB Jordan Jones, Rhode Island
C Sean Maginn, Wake Forest
C Mike McAllister, Youngstown State
CB Cameron McCutcheon, Western Carolina
G Grant Miller, Baylor
TE Christian Sims, Bowling Green
LB Ryan Smenda, Wake Forest
WR Xavier Smith, Florida A&M
LB DeAndre Square, Kentucky
S Rashad Torrence, Florida
LS Alex Ward, UCF
QB Dresser Winn, Tennessee-Martin
LB Jaiden Woodbey, Boston College

With former kicker Matt Gay now residing in Indianapolis, the Rams have resolved to a kicking competition between Brown and Dunn. Brown had a stellar year with the Cowboys converting 22 of 23 field goal attempts and making all 42 of his extra points. Dunn had an even better 2022, rebounding after 5 missed field goals in 2020 and six misses in 2021. He converted 28 of 29 field goal attempts in 2022 and, over five years with the Wolfpack, never missed one of his 200 extra point attempts.

Gay wasn’t the only special teamer Los Angeles lost. After losing Matthew Orzech to the Packers in free agency, the Rams will give Ward a run at the position. After drafting punter Ethan Evans in the seventh round, Los Angeles is set to have a full rookie special teams unit.

Winn joins the quarterback room behind Matthew Stafford, Stetson Bennett, and Brett Rypien. He threw for nearly 3,000 yards as a sixth-year senior for the Skyhawks with 18 touchdowns to 11 interceptions. The Rams also signed Burmeister, a former starting quarterback at Virginia Tech who transferred to the other coast. Based on his listing with the Rams, he’ll be attempting to switch positions in the NFL.

With only eight linebackers under contract in a base 3-4 defense, the Rams supplemented heavily from the rookie class, drafting three and signing five more undrafted. They similarly added some significant depth at defensive back, drafting two and signing eight more undrafted.

The Rams have a substantial 40 rookies occupying roster spots on the current 90-man roster (which only holds 89 players as of right now). This seems to be a bit emblematic of the Rams recent all-in strategy that resulted in a Super Bowl but left them with a top-heavy roster with hefty contracts. Regardless, it presents many young rookies with clear opportunities for roster spots and playing time.