The Rams kept tinkering with their roster on Tuesday, and the biggest clue about what’s bothering them came on special teams. Los Angeles signed linebacker Jon Rhattigan to the practice squad while cutting cornerback Nyzier Fourqurean and linebacker Eli Neal.
That move lines up with a problem the Rams have been trying to solve for seven weeks now. In the loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, they allowed a 36-yard kickoff return, then another one for 42 yards, before eventually just sending the ball out the back of the end zone.
“It was not good enough. We've talked about this a lot and it has to get fixed.
It's not good enough and we cannot allow ourselves to do that,” said head coach Sean McVay. “I have to figure that out.
It's one of those deals that’s driving me crazy. We have to figure it out and we haven't yet.”
Rhattigan comes in with real special teams mileage. An undrafted free agent from Army in 2021, he spent three seasons with the Seahawks and was with the Bears this summer before getting released during roster cuts. He’s logged 1,270 special teams snaps in his career, earned a 90.1 special teams grade from PFF in 2022 with Seattle, and last season posted 2 special teams tackles while being charged with six missed tackles.
For the Rams, that makes him another body brought in with the same goal: help clean up a coverage unit that has been a headache. Whether he can actually move the needle remains to be seen, but the team is clearly still searching for answers.
Neal’s departure is a little more notable. He has been around the organization for the last three years in and out of the practice squad, and he was active in two games this season, though not since Week 3. Still, the Rams opted to move on.
Fourqurean also got squeezed out after the team spent the offseason signing a pair of undrafted cornerbacks, Fourqurean and Al’Zillion Hamilton. Hamilton was part of the first round of cuts and never returned to the practice squad. Fourqurean looked strong in the preseason, but the addition of Damarion Williams two weeks ago may have pushed him down the chart.
There was one more interesting name tied to the special teams picture: long snapper Jake McQuaide came in for a visit. The Rams already signed Joe Cardona to handle that job earlier this offseason, so McQuaide’s visit stands out. He spent his first 10 seasons with the Rams and returned last year after the team cut Alex Ward.
The Rams are still searching for stability on special teams, and Tuesday’s moves show they’re not standing still while they do it. Rhattigan may help on the coverage side, but the bigger fix, as McVay made clear, is still out there.
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