Former Rams find late-season homes

Bobby Evans and Jake Funk get new roles before last regular season game

There has been a couple roster moves of note lately, concerning ex-Los Angeles Rams. Offensive lineman Bobby Evans was signed to the Minnesota Vikings practice squad and running back Jake Funk was promoted to the Indianapolis Colts active roster from their practice squad.

Evans had a stormy career with the Rams since being drafted in the third round at #97 of the 2019 NFL Draft. His draft profile of good length, power run blocking, and nasty demeanor never progressed past the backup level in the pro’s. He carded 16 starts over his four years in L.A., but struggled to hold up. His Pro Football Focus scores since 2019 are 49.4, 60.0 (one offensive snap), 48.2, and 29.8 this season.

In an ironic twist, ex-Rams edge Chris Garrett was released to make room for Evans.

Funk was an interesting story coming out of Maryland in 2021. He overcame two major knee injuries in college and did a little bit of everything at College Park. He averaged 7.2 yards per rush, returned 13 kickoffs, and had 30 tackles on special teams.

L.A. drafted him in the seventh round at #233 of the ‘21 draft. In his year and a half as a Ram, he logged 21 offensive snaps and another 202 on special teams. His stats were sparse, five yards on two rushing carries, four kickoff returns for 88 yards and three tackles on special teams.

Evans and Funk aren’t the only ex-Rams toiling away for other organizations. Here’s a look (probably not exhaustive) at who once was, where they are now, and their tenure as a Ram.

ACTIVE ROSTER and INJURED RESERVE

Pharaoh Cooper- Arizona Cardinals (June 2016 – Dec. 2019)

Greg Dortch-Arizona Cardinals (Dec. 2019 – July 2020)

DeSean Jackson- Baltimore Ravens (Mar. 2021 – Nov. 2021)

Case Keenum- Buffalo Bills (two stints, Aug. 2014 – Dec. 2014 and Mar. 2015 – Mar. 2017)

Rodger Saffold- Buffalo Bills (July 2010 – Feb. 2019)

Von Miller- Buffalo Bills (Nov. 2021 – Feb. 2022)

Austin Corbett- Carolina Panthers (Oct. 2019 – Feb. 2022)

Johnny Hekker- Carolina Panthers (May 2012 – Mar. 2022)

Dante Fowler- Dallas Cowboys (Oct. 2018 – Jan. 2020)

Dakota Allen- Denver Broncos (two stints, Apr. 2019 – Sep. 2019 and Nov. 2019 – Dec. 2019)

Michael Brockers- Detroit Lions (June 2012 – Feb.2021)

Jared Goff- Detroit Lions (June 2016 – Mar. 2021)

Josh Reynolds- Detroit Lions (June 2017 – Feb. 2021)

Justin Hollins- Green Bay Packers (Sep. 2020 – Nov. 2022)

Brandin Cooks- Houston Texans (Apr. 2018 – Apr. 2022)

Ogbonnia Okoronkwo- Houston Texans (June 2018 – Feb. 2022)

Rodney McLeod- Indianapolis Colts (Aug. 2012 – Feb. 2015)

Micah Kiser- Las Vegas Raiders (June 2018 – Aug. 2021)

Johnny Mundt- Minnesota Vikings (Apr. 2017 – Feb. 2022)

John Franklin-Myers- New York Jets (June 2018 – Sep. 2019)

Greg Zuerlein- New York Jets (June 2012 – Feb. 2019)

Robert Quinn- Philadelphia Eagles (July 2010 – Mar. 2018)

Samson Ebukam- San Francisco 49ers (June 2017 – Feb. 2020)

Austin Blythe- Seattle Seahawks (May 2017 – Feb. 2020)

Robert Woods- Tennessee Titans (Mar. 2017 – Feb. 2022)

PRACTICE SQUAD PLAYERS

Here are the ex-Rams hidden away from view on opposing taxi squads.

Mike Thomas-Baltimore Ravens

Terrell Lewis- Chicago Bears

Nsimba Webster-Chicago Bears

John Kelly- Cleveland Browns

Takkarist McKinley- Dallas Cowboys

Mekhi Sargent- Jacksonville Jaguars

Kendall Blanton- Kansas City Chiefs

Trishton Jackson- Minnesota Vikings

Terrell Burgess- New York Giants

Tanzel Smart- New York Jets

Sean Mannion- Seattle Seahawks

Steven Parker- Seattle Seahawks

Easop Winston- Seattle Seahawks

Final thoughts

A quick count shows 25 ex-Rams on active rosters or Injured Reserve Lists. Another 13 languish on practice squads, waiting for another shot to prove their mettle. All but Rodney McLeod were purged during the Sean McVay regime.

McVay is obviously not afraid to cut bait on players, some of his best moves when taking over in 2017 were cutting the dead wood out of the roster he inherited from Jeff Fisher.

After a tough year, will this off season bring about more trimming? Who goes and who stays?