Preseason Football Almost Over, Rams Announce Top 75

IRVINE, CA — It's almost time for the Los Angeles Rams to leave their proving grounds in Orange County and head to their Los Angeles home with their permanent squad.

The Rams will reduce their roster to 75 players by Tuesday's 1 p.m. deadline, just one day after waiving 13 players and terminating the contract of defensive end Quinton Coples, who has played four seasons in the NFL. The final 53 player list will be selected by Friday.

"I'd say we're 90 percent there," coach Jeff Fisher told reporters Monday at the team's training camp at UC Irvine. "It's not an easy situation. I talk to each and every player and thanked them for the contribution and all that."

Coples was signed by the Rams during the off-season after being released by the Miami Dolphins in February.

Fisher said Coples was among the players released in connection with the first mandatory cutdown date to give him a better opportunity to sign with another team.

"Out of fairness to a player like 'Q,' I didn't see him making the team and that's exactly what I told him," Fisher said. "I wanted to give him a chance and give him an opportunity to get out there early to see if he could find work. If not, we're going to keep the door open for him."

The 6-foot-6-inch Coples, a natural defensive end, was given time as defensive tackle "just to give him a chance" to be seen there, Fisher said.

"I really appreciated everything that he did, his attitude and going from end to tackle," Fisher said. "If you've never been in there, is quite a change. He worked really hard at it."

Coples made two tackles in each of the Rams first two preseason games and none Saturday. He was chosen in the first round of the 2012 draft by the New York Jets out of North Carolina and spent three full seasons with the team and part of a fourth before being released in November.

Two other players with NFL game experience were also waived — tight end Jake Stoneburner and center Brian Folkerts.

Two players who attended past NFL training camps were released — quarterback Dylan Thompson and injured running back Zach Laskey.

The other nine players waived were all undrafted rookies — kicker Taylor Bertolet; tight end Benson Browne; safety Michael Caputo; defensive tackle Zach Colvin; linebacker Darreon Herring; injured receiver Marquez North; long snapper Jeff Overbaugh; receiver David Richards; and tackle Jordan Swindle.

The Rams must reduce their roster to the regular-season 53-player limit on Friday.

Who would you cut from the roster, Lake Forest? Tell us in comments!

— City News Service, photo courtesy of the Los Angeles Rams