The Rams have made a pair of additions and hosted another player for a tryout on Monday.
Per the league’s daily transaction wire, Los Angeles signed guard Bill Murray and defensive back Alex Cook.
Murray entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2020 and has appeared in four regular season games. He was a defensive lineman in college but flipped over to offensive line while with the Patriots early in his pro career.
He has also spent time with the Bears and Colts.
Cook has appeared in 10 career games with two starts, all of which came in 2023 with the Panthers. He has also spent time with the Giants, Bears, and Birmingham Stallions of the UFL.
Additionally, the Rams hosted offensive tackle Tyler McLellan for a tryout.
Rams Clips
The Lions are adding a linebacker.
Detroit has agreed to terms with veteran Troy Reeder, according to agency EnterSports Management.
Reeder, 31, has spent most of his career with the Rams since entering the league as an undrafted free agent in 2019. While he played for the Chargers in 2022, every other game he’s played has been with the cross-town team in Los Angeles.
Last year, Reeder appeared in all 17 games with one start, playing 73 percent of the Rams’ special teams snaps and seven percent of defensive snaps. He registered 25 total tackles with two passes defensed.
In all, Reeder has appeared in 106 games with 38 starts, recording 5.0 sacks, two interceptions, 12 passes defensed, and three forced fumbles.
The Rams weren’t in full pads for Sunday’s training camp practice, but they had their full squad on the field and that gave them a sense of how things will look with Myles Garrett at defensive end in 2026.
Defensive coordinator Chris Shula said that the sight “definitely lived up to” the expectations that were created by the trade that brought Garrett to Los Angeles last month. Garrett only did limited work before the end of the offseason program and his first team work since joining the Rams got a strong review from cornerback Trent McDuffie as well.
“When he’s out there, you can just feel his aura,” McDuffie said, via Greg Beachem of the Associated Press. “[It’s just] this aura that this guy has. I mean, he’s gigantic. He’s a monster. But I’m just excited to get him out here and get him loose and get him going, because I know he has a little chip on his shoulder, and I know he’s excited about being here, so I think that just fires everybody else up.”
The Rams’ vision for Garrett includes a lot more than impressive outings on the practice field, but it is a necessary first step toward getting to the places they want to go with the reigning defensive player of the year on their side.
The Rams have a good problem, even if the only good problem is no problem.
Outside expectations are sky-high. Even though the Rams haven’t been to the Super Bowl in five years, they’re the favorite to emerge from the NFC and to win the whole thing.
Coach Sean McVay addressed the high bar the Rams are facing in his Saturday session with reporters.
“The last time I checked, none of that stuff means anything,” McVay said. “It’s what’s great about the league. People care, there’s a lot of attention, but this is the greatest team sport there is. We’ve got to come together as a team. We’ve got to stay humble. There’s a lot of stuff in the midst of the journey that we don’t control, but I think our ability to be connected, to be courageous, to handle the storms when they do come up and be inside out more than ever before is going to be really important.
“But we’re not going to allow the outside expectations to change the way that we approach every day with the way that we work, the way that we enjoy it, have the appropriate mindset and energy. And that’s something that I think is really important for us to represent and I think that’s more felt than anything else. And so that’s what we’re going to do, but none of those things mean anything. They don’t win games, and how can we be present, stack days, and enjoy the opportunity to come together as a team? We’re not going to let external expectations inhibit our ability to go swing and be courageous.”
The challenge is to get the players to ignore the outside chatter, and to accept the fact that, every week, they’ll get the absolute best that every opponent will have to offer.
Even with a wide array of uniforms, the one constant is the target they’ll have on their backs. Along with a schedule that has them in prime time for seven games — and that has them playing on a Wednesday, a Thursday, a Friday, multiple Sundays, and multiple Mondays.
The Rams opened training camp this weekend, but a couple of players aren’t ready to practice at this point.
The team announced that they have placed guard Justin Dedich on the non-football injury list. Defensive back Al’zillion Hamilton is on the physically unable to perform list and both of the players can be activated at any point this summer.
Dedich appeared in 16 games and made six starts for the Rams last season. He also played in all three of their playoff contests and started against the Panthers in the wild card round.
Hamilton signed with the Rams after going undrafted out of Fresno State this year.
The current Collective Bargaining Agreement makes it harder than ever for a player who wants a new contract to hold out. As a result, the vast majority of players who are waiting for their next deal will hold in, showing up for training camp but not risking injury at practice until the ink is drying on the last page.
Rams receiver Puka Nacua, who has had three stellar seasons and who is little more than seven months away from free agency, apparently won’t be holding in.
“Oh, he’ll practice, yes,” coach Sean McVay told reporters on Saturday when asked about Nacua. “My understanding is everybody’s going to practice and be ready to go.”
Nacua is due to make $5.767 million this year. Seahawks receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, drafted the same year as Nacua, has gotten a contract that pays a record-setting $42.15 million annually.
Complicating Nacua’s situation is the off-field issues that emerged during the offseason. It has put Nacua in a far different posture. He’s grateful for the support he has gotten from the Rams. And if he’s not extremely leery about what could happen with the civil lawsuit alleging that he bit a woman on New Year’s Eve, he should be.
The latest reporting on the case mentioned the possibility of Nacua entering a diversion program, which would open the door to a suspension under the Personal Conduct Policy.
That fact alone significantly complicates Nacua’s negotiations with the Rams. A suspension would likely void his guarantees, unless the contract specifically carves out the incident that gave rise to the lawsuit and potential diversion program. Even if the Rams would be willing to do that, such a concession will come with a price, likely in the form of less total money under the contract.
Regardless, Nacua has far greater value than $5.767 million. He has been every bit as good, if not better, than Smith-Njigba. At Nacua’s best, no receiver in the NFL is better.
Surely, efforts have been made by Nacua’s agents to get him the security he has earned. But if the security is going to come with an asterisk due to the lingering off-field problem, it’s not really security.
Nacua’s only viable option is to move forward. To have another great year. To hope that his incredibly physical style doesn’t lead to an injury that hampers his long-term value. And to hope that the off-field situation can be wrapped up efficiently and as favorably as possible, so that he can get the contract he already deserves after the 2026 season.
Unless, of course, the Rams decide to take advantage of a franchise tag that, for receivers, falls far below market value.
The situation reveals the very real financial consequences of off-field misconduct, alleged or actual. Even if Nacua is fully cleared, the mere existence of the allegation has bogged down his effort to receive the contract his performance merits, and it forces him to play for less than he’s worth while risking the kind of injury that would keep him from ever getting paid the way he already should be.
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan is recovering from serious injuries after a car accident on July 14, and his friend and rival Sean McVay was among the first to reach out to him.
McVay, the Rams head coach who worked with Shanahan for four years when they were young assistants in Washington, said Shanahan is in good spirits.
“Most importantly, thank God he and the other person involved is okay,” McVay said. “Perspective is everything. We talk about that all the time as coaches, and everybody goes through different things. I think the most important thing is that he’s on the road to recovery. His wife Mandy, and he’s got a beautiful family, and I think any time that something like that happens, it shakes you up a little bit. But most importantly, I have talked to him. My thoughts and prayers are with him and his family, and I know he’s got an incredible perspective on it all. And Kyle’s a stud. I have as much respect for him as anybody and he’s a friend of mine, and I love him and hope that he’s going to have a great recovery.”
Shanahan reportedly has a severe concussion, multiple broken bones, and lacerations requiring 40 stitches on his face. He will be coaching on a limited basis in training camp.
McVay and Shanahan were hired to coach NFC West rivals in 2017. Shanahan’s 49ers are 11-7 against McVay’s Rams in the regular season. McVay and the Rams won their only playoff meeting, in the NFC Championship Game after the 2021 season.
Even though Rams tackle Alaric Jackson won’t be charged with a felony following an offseason domestic battery accusation, he could be entering a diversion program in lieu of a misdemeanor prosecution. Which would likely result in another Personal Conduct Policy suspension.
For now, Jackson will participate in Rams training camp.
Coach Sean McVay confirmed that Jackson is present, and that he’ll “be a part of what we’re doing.” McVay added that the Rams will nevertheless “work in collaboration and coordination with both the legal system and the league to be able to get all the necessary information to be able to listen and understand, and then ultimately be able to try to influence and affect positive decisions and use all these things as learning opportunities for us.”
Jackson previously was suspended two games under the Personal Conduct Policy for a different situation. That becomes an aggravating factor for a second suspension, which could make it longer than the baseline ban of six games for domestic violence.
Jackson, 28, has been a full-time starter since 2023. He has a base salary of $18.925 million in 2026, with $1.45 million in per-game roster bonuses.
Last year, after Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford didn’t practice much in training camp due to a back problem, outsiders incorrectly assumed that coach Sean McVay was giving Stafford a break.
This year, McVay is giving Stafford a break.
Via Sarah Barshop of ESPN, McVay said that Stafford will not practice on the first and third days of the Rams’ four-day training-camp practice blocks.
The goal, said McVay, will be to keep Stafford “fresh and ready to go” for Week 1.
At times last August, it appeared that Stafford wouldn’t be ready to go for Week 1. He ultimately played the whole year, had one of the best seasons of his career, and won his first NFL MVP award.
So, no, he doesn’t need a full slate of practice reps.
In turn, Stafford’s potential backups do. With no veteran option (for now), Ty Simpson and Stetson Bennett need the work. And with Jimmy Garoppolo suddenly talking about playing again, the Rams may decide that they need to get him to come back for another season as QB2 in L.A.
Rams quarterback Ty Simpson started the day as the only 2026 first-round pick without a contract, but that is set to change.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that Simpson has agreed to his four-year rookie deal with the NFC West club. Simpson will make $25.4 million under the terms of the deal and the Rams will hold an option for a fifth season.
Simpson, who was the 13th overall pick this year, is set to compete with Stetson Bennett for the backup job behind Matthew Stafford.
Now that Simpson has agreed to his deal, Patriots second-round pick Gabe Jacas is the only unsigned player from the entire 2026 draft class. Jacas has been dealing with injuries and did not report to Patriots training camp this week.
