Rams Sign Veteran Wide Receiver Amid Injuries to Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua

Ricardo Klein | 20 Hours Ago

Sep 11, 2022; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Lions wide receiver Quintez Cephus (87) get in position for a kickoff against Philadelphia Eagles during the first half at Ford Field. Nfl Philadelphia Eagles At Detroit Lions / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Los Angeles Rams have signed veteran wide receiver Quintez Cephus to the practice squad.

The Rams announced the news via Twitter/X.

LA Rams Roster Moves:
• Signed Practice Squad Veteran WR Quintez Cephus pic.twitter.com/cGzpHYbTfb

— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) September 18, 2024

The move comes amid the injuries to the Rams' wide receiver room, including the significant losses of Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp.

Nacua is currently on the injured reserve due to re-aggravating his knee injury, which he suffered in training camp. He is set to miss four games, but it could be more.

As for Kupp, he avoided the injured reserve on Wednesday. Kupp is recovering from a left ankle sprain he suffered in Sunday's blowout loss to the Arizona Cardinals. An IR designation would have required Kupp to miss a minimum of four games before he could be activated again. Now that the Rams have avoided that, he could be eligible to return within the next four weeks if they feel like he is ready.

The Rams are a depleted bunch, so a player avoiding IR is a huge win, especially with the amount of players already on there.

Rams head coach Sean McVay said that Kupp could be expected to miss an extended period of time, but things could have changed since then.

Now enters Cephus, who began his career with the Detroit Lions. In the fifth round, the Lions selected Cephus with the No. 166 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

The wide receiver has had a tough road in the NFL. After a solid rookie season in 2020, where he recorded 20 receptions for 349 yards and two touchdowns, he's struggled to stay on the field.

The former Wisconsin Badger spent significant time on injured reserve in 2021 and 2022. After the 2022 season, Cephus was suspended indefinitely (at least one season) after it was discovered he had violated the league's gambling policy by betting on NFL games. 

In April 2024, he signed a one-year contract with the Buffalo Bills but was released in May. He signed with the Houston Texans in July but was released on Aug. 27.

With the Rams having nowhere else to turn, Cephus comes in to provide some depth.

Cephus has recorded 37 receptions for 568 yards and four touchdowns in 22 career games. The Georgia native attended Wisconsin for four years, got into trouble in college, and was expelled and reinstated by the school due to pending legal charges.

The 26-year-old will look for a fresh start in Los Angeles.

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