The St. Louis Rams trimmed their roster to 75 players on Tuesday, and defensive end Michael Sam has survived the first round of cuts.
Sam, a seventh round pick by the Rams in the 2014 NFL Draft, has been fairly impressive in preseason action thus far. Through three games, Sam has been credited with five tackles, three sacks and two quarterback hurries. Last Saturday night against the Cleveland Browns, Sam recorded two sacks on fellow rookie Johnny Manziel.
While defense is where Sam will be able to make his mark, he has also been contributing on Special Teams. Defensive ends do not typically play much Special Teams, so it is unlikely to be a huge part of his game. That said, Sam is showing great versatility and work ethic by contributing in other aspects of the game.
Sam is the first openly gay player in the NFL, and that will certainly come with a ton of attention whether he makes the Rams’ final roster or not. The final decision will come this Saturday when the Rams and all other NFL teams must have their rosters down to the 53 players they will open the season with.
It will be very interesting to see if Sam makes the 53-man roster for the Rams. One thing is for sure, he is showing value as a pass rush specialist.