The Los Angeles Rams made a handful of roster moves on Tuesday, with the hope that their newest addition will help them on special teams. The Rams signed linebacker Jon Rhattigan to their practice squad and terminated the contracts of cornerback Nyzier Fourqurean and linebacker Eli Neal.

Over the first seven weeks of the season, the Rams have been trying to figure out how to improve on special teams. Against the Las Vegas Raiders, the Rams gave up a 36-yard kickoff return and then a 42-yard kickoff return before opting to just kick the ball out of 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.”

It’s somewhat surprising that the Rams cut Neal after he’s been with the team for the last three years on and off the practice squad. Neal had been active in two games this year, but not since Week 3. The Rams will hope that Rhattigan can help their issues on the coverage unit. 

Rhattigan was an undrafted free agent out of Army in 2021 and spent three seasons with the Seattle Seahawks. He was with the Bears this summer but was released during roster cuts. Rhattigan has played 1,270 special teams snaps in his career. In 2022 with the Seahawks, he had a 90.1 special teams grade via PFF. Last season, Rhattigan had 2 tackles on special teams, but was credited with six missed tackles.

The Rams signing Rhattigan is another sign that they are continuing to bring in players to try and fix their issues on special teams. This is likely something that the Rams will have to address in the offseason, but McVay understands it’s a problem and they are doing what they can at this point. 

Also among the roster cuts was Fourqurean. This offseason, the Rams signed a pair of undrafted cornerbacks in Fourqurean and Al’Zillion Hamilton. Hamilton was part of the first roster cutdowns and was not brought back on the practice squad. Fourqurean has now been cut as well after performing well in the preseason. It is worth noting that the Rams signed cornerback Damarion Williams two weeks ago, and Williams may have surpassed Fourqurean on the depth chart.

As another note on the transaction wire, the Rams also had long snapper Jake McQuaide in for a visit. Earlier this offseason, the Rams signed Joe Cardona to be their long snapper, so McQuaide coming in for a visit is certainly interesting. McQuaide spent his first 10 years with the Rams and was brought back last year after the team cut Alex Ward. 

It's clear that the Rams aren't satisfied with how things have gone on special teams, and Tuesday's roster moves are another example of their efforts to address those issues. Rhattigan may provide some help on the coverage unit, but it remains to be seen how much of an impact he’ll have.