LA Rams waive 18 players, terminate deals for Ayers, Thomas

The Rams announced the roster moves Saturday to reach the 53-man regular-season limit.

While Rams head coach Jeff Fisher didn’t spend much time on Sunday going in-depth about the cuts, the former Bears linebacker did say the following (via the Los Angeles Daily News).

Fisher said Sunday,”there’s probably going to be moving parts over the next couple of days” with the roster.

“All of the decisions that you make are hard, and some of the decisions that you make are not permanent”, Fisher said as part of his first comments to reporters since Saturday’s cuts were announced.

Ayers is a Los Angeles native who played at UCLA. If Ayers does not sign with another team, the Rams can sign him back after the first week, presumably at a lower – or at least non-guaranteed – contract.

“All of the decisions that we make are hard, and some of the decisions that you make are not permanent”, Fisher said. Akeem has played well for us. We enjoyed having him. “We’re kind of hopeful that this is not the end between us and Akeem, I’ll just say that”. If the team doesn’t re-sign the 27-year-old to a restructured deal, the competition for the vacant linebacker spot could come down to rookies Josh Forrest, Cory Littleton and Nicholas Grigsby.

The Rams haven’t been incompetent in Fisher’s tenure, but they haven’t been special, either. I’m pleased with their progress. “They have a ways to go with their position, but we like where the future is right now with that group”.

Receiver Nelson Spruce, an undrafted free agent, made the roster despite playing in only the first exhibition against the Dallas Cowboys.

“Nelson did a lot of things well, in addition to the preseason game that he played in”, Fisher said. Watch Jared Goff make his picks for “This or That” during “Rams Primetime Saturday with Jay Mohr” in the video player above.

HOMECOMING GAME: After the Monday-night season opener in Santa Clara, the Rams will formally return to the Coliseum on September 18 against the Seattle Seahawks and former USC coach Pete Carroll. After every challenge over the past eight months, Fisher is confident the Rams can handle unpacking a few more boxes.

“Things are still coming in”, Fisher said. Once you get inside, in a lot of ways there’s more space than what we had in St. Louis. “There’s a newness to it. Guys are excited about the fields”. The current list consists of offensive tackle Isaiah Battle, linebacker Brandon Chubb, defensive end Morgan Fox, running back Aaron Green, defensive back Michael Jordan, running back Terrence Magee, and receiver Paul McRoberts.

Fisher also touched on Rams running back Tre Mason, who remains absent from the team due to personal issues that are both mental and legal.

The Rams spent the off-season in Oxnard, training camp at UC Irvine. “The organization’s position, including the league and the players’ association, is to take care of him and help him to get the help that he needs to get through this life crisis that he’s having”, Fisher said.