The 49ers went shopping for help on special teams this week, and they found a player Rams fans know can be equal parts spark and headache.
San Francisco signed Xavier Smith to the practice squad on Wednesday, hoping to squeeze some juice out of a punt return game that has offered almost nothing so far. The Niners have managed just six returns for 25 yards, so even a shaky upgrade is still an upgrade. It would not be a surprise if Smith is on the active roster soon.
That’s the lure with Smith. He can turn a dead possession into a burst of energy in a blink.
Across 50 career punt returns, he has averaged 9.4 yards per return and has a long of 38. This season, he brought back nine punts for 69 yards, good for a 9.9 average, with a long of 19.
But Rams fans also know the other side of the package. Smith spent two-plus seasons in Los Angeles before being waived last week, and the memory that sticks is the maddening whiplash: one play that looks electric, the next that makes you wonder what he saw. His muffed punt in last year’s NFC title game remains his unfortunate LA calling card.
Even when he was still with the Rams, Smith often felt more like a tantalizing idea than a steady answer. He kept slipping free for one eye-opening return, then getting tripped up by the kind of mistake that wipes out the good feeling in a hurry. Waiving him when Alex Bachman became the designated replacement never made much sense.
San Francisco probably isn’t asking him to be a full-time answer on offense anyway. Smith was targeted once in 80 offensive snaps this season, a sharp drop from last year, when he caught 18 passes for 303 yards and ranked as the Rams’ third-leading receiver.
The 49ers need him for punt returns, and on that front he should help. Their special-teams picture has been rough even with a 4-0 record, with little from the kick return game and Eddy Pineiro still struggling on extra points.
That’s why Smith makes sense as a low-cost pickup. Just don’t expect the experience to be clean. As Rams fans learned, one snap can make you think you’ve found something, and the next can leave you shaking your head.
In Other News...
Rams Defense Must Hold Up Until Myles Garrett Can Truly Matter
Myles Garretts start with the Rams has been slow for reasons that had nothing to do with scheme fit and everything to do with recovery. After knee surgery, Garrett has already missed three of the teams first four games this season, and according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, he is expected to sit at least six weeks. For a defense that anticipated a major jolt from his arrival, the wait has stretched long enough that the group has had to find its footing without him.
The encouraging part for Los Angeles is that the defense has held up well so far, even without Garrett available to play a snap alongside Aaron Donald. Still, the expectation is that his biggest impact wont come until the second half of the season, once he is fully back and able to reintegrate into the mix. Until then, the Rams are left balancing steady early results with the idea of what this unit is supposed to look like when Garrett finally becomes a real factor. [Read more 🡒]
Rams Suddenly Have A Real Question At Right Tackle
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Keagen Trost adds another layer to the picture once he is back in the mix. The rookie missed time with a hamstring injury in the preseason but is now eligible to return from injured reserve, and his arrival gives the Rams a live alternative if McClendons hold on the job starts to slip. For a team that values stability up front, right tackle has quietly become one of the more interesting battles to monitor. [Read more 🡒]
Rams May Have Left The Eagles With A Much Bigger Problem
Saquon Barkleys availability has become a major issue for Philadelphia after he missed practice Thursday because of a hamstring injury he picked up in a recent game. The Eagles are heading into Week 5 with their backfield picture suddenly clouded, and for a team that has leaned on Barkley to stabilize the offense, the timing could hardly be worse.
Philadelphias running back depth is already thinning behind him. Tank Bigsby is on injured reserve with a core muscle injury, which puts Will Shipley in position for a much bigger workload if Barkley is unable to go against the Jacksonville Jaguars. For the Eagles, it is the kind of late-week uncertainty that can reshape a game plan in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]