5 Notable Roster Cuts By the Los Angeles Rams For 2016 Season

Here’s a closer look at the five notable roster cuts by the Los Angeles Rams following Saturday’s deadline.

Oct 25, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams outside linebacker Akeem Ayers (56) recovers a ball from Cleveland Browns quarterback Josh McCown (not pictured) during the first half at the Edward Jones Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

NFL teams had until late Saturday afternoon to trim their roster down to 53 players and while the Los Angeles Rams had an idea of which players didn’t have much of a shot, there were still a few surprise cuts by the team.

With the battle between Jared Goff and Case Keenum taking up most of the discussion over the last few weeks, the Rams found themselves in an interesting situation at running back and wide receiver. Believe it or not, there were a handful of players at both positions who showed signs of greatness over the preseason, but also displayed a few disappointing games as well.

Now that the team has cut the roster down to 53 players, it will be interesting to see if any of these guys happen to earn a spot on the practice squad for the 2016 season. WIthout wasting any more time, here’s a look at the five most surprising roster cuts by the Rams after final cuts were made Saturday.

Sep 1, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Los Angeles Rams running back Aaron Green (36) carries the ball against the Minnesota Vikings during a NFL game at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Aaron Green

Aaron Green got off to a hot start in the preseason after recording 64 yards from the line of scrimmage to go along with an impressive touchdown catch and even came up big in the preseason finale against the Minnesota Vikings (66 rushing yards with one touchdown on 13 carries).

Unfortunately, these numbers weren’t impressive enough to keep Green as one of the running backs as the games against the Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos seemed to hurt his case to earn one of the roster spots at running back. Even with a surprise opening at running back thanks to Tre Mason, Los Angeles realized they would be better off with Benny Cunningham and Malcolm Brown as backups to Todd Gurley.

Green showed plenty of potential at times throughout the preseason, but this was the right move by the Rams when comparing the running back to the rest of the competition.

Nov 28, 2014; Tucson, AZ, USA; Arizona Wildcats wide receiver Austin Hill (29) celebrates during the second half against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Austin Hill

Austin Hill was one of those players who was doing everything in his power to prove to the Rams he deserves a spot at wide receiver. The main problem for Hill was his inability to get involved on the offense in the limited action he saw on the field during preseason and unfortunately, the former Arizona star looks like he’ll be bouncing around once again.

Los Angeles brought Hill on board at the beginning of training camp to compete for one of the spots at wide receiver and even though he became a fan favorite thanks to Hard Knocks, he just didn’t end up being a good fit with the Rams’ offense. After failing to record a catch over the first two games, Hill finished the preseason with just two catches for 16 yards–making him an easy choice to leave off the roster.

Hill quickly became a fan favorite thanks to his adorable daughter on Hard Knocks and it’s a shame to see him fail to make the squad when considering how much heart he displayed throughout camp.

Jul 31, 2016; Irvine, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams receiver Duke Williams (81) catches a ball at training camp at UC Irvine. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Duke Williams

When it comes to overhyped players becoming disappointments, Duke Williams may be the top player to consider when looking at how much excitement there was over the wide receiver at the beginning of training camp.

Despite their weak receiving corps, the wide receiver position provided one of the most interesting battles throughout camp when considering the spots behind Tavon Austin and Kenny Britt were wide open from a competition standpoint. Even though he dealt with off the field issues at Auburn, Los Angeles hoped to see Williams become a huge steal and leave the past behind him.

Instead, Williams struggled to make an impact after finishing the preseason with only two catches for 10 yards. With these kinds of numbers, the decision to part ways with Williams was a no brainer for the Rams when looking at some of the other players at wide receiver who were worth more of a risk.

May 6, 2016; Oxnard, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams defensive linebacker Ian Seau (72) stretches during rookie minicamp at River Ridge Fields. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Ian Seau

Los Angeles wasn’t really sure of what to expect when they decided to give Ian Seau, the nephew of Junior Seau, a shot for a roster spot after an impressive career at Nevada. While the decision to waive Seau must have been one of the tougher choices, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the linebacker earn a spot on the team’s practice squad.

Seau nearly recorded two sacks (he let one slip away) in the preseason opener against the Dallas Cowboys and even recorded another half a sack in the finale against the Minnesota Vikings. The potential was certainly there for Seau, but most of his production came against his opponent’s backups and it was clear he still had numerous areas in need of improvement.

With that being said, it would great to see Los Angeles give Seau a spot on the practice squad when considering he seems to be the type of player capable of making an impact later on. For now, there just wasn’t enough room for Seau on the current roster with all of the other talent on defense.

Sep 1, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Joel Stave (2) is pressured by Los Angeles Rams outside linebacker Akeem Ayers (56) during a NFL game at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Akeem Ayers

In what may go down as the biggest surprise from Saturday’s cuts, the Rams terminated the contract of linebacker Akeem Ayers–who previously joined the team prior to the 2015 season.

After stints with the Tennessee Titans and New England Patriots, the Rams had high expectations for Ayers when he joined the team last season, but it appears Fisher and company just didn’t see the linebacker as a good fit for the current squad. Despite the move, it wouldn’t be a surprise if a team quickly jumped on the opportunity to bring Ayers on board for the 2016 season.

Things may not have worked out with Ayers, but at least Los Angeles has plenty of reasons to feel confident with their current situation on defense. One of the main reasons behind the team’s 7-9 finish in 2015 was due to this defensive unit and that should be the case once again heading into Week 1 of the regular season.