Rams Make Plethora of Roster Moves Before Christmas

WOODLAND HILLS, Ca. As the Los Angeles Rams look to wrap up their season with back-to-back wins, the team made several roster moves on Tuesday, while losing a player to a division rival.

The Rams are set to begin preparations on Wednesday for their trip to Atlanta next Monday.

Roster Moves

DB Chris Smith II was waived by the team, opening up a spot on the 53-man roster. The Rams also terminated DB Alex Johnson from the practice squad. It is unclear if the Rams will sign Smith to the practice squad, once he becomes eligible.

The Rams have not indicated who will take the roster spot that Smith has vacated. Head coach Sean McVay stated Rob Havenstein and Tyler Higbee, who are on injured reserve, aren't ready to play yet.

Barring an unexpected change of events or a miraculous recovery by Quentin Lake, it's likely the spot will be vacated by a player on the Rams' practice squad or with a free agent.

Joshua Karty

Karty, who started the season on the Rams' active roster as their starting kicker, lost his job to Harrison Mevis, was waived and then signed to the practice squad. On Tuesday, the Arizona Cardinals claimed Karty, signing him to their active roster.

When Karty was waived, Rams head coach Sean McVay spoke about the decision, stating they wanted to keep him in the building.

“Honestly, it wasn't something that we wanted to do," stated McVay. "We always had the intention of being able to keep two kickers. That was contingent upon the health of our roster. What went into it had nothing to do with…Josh has done a great job. I think there's been a lot of growth that's gone on that hasn't been seen by you guys or others in terms of the way he's gone about his weekly rhythm. What a good job he's done of making a couple little tweaks."

"The way he's handled it says as much as anything about who he is. I think his future is going to be really bright. It's a long-winded way of saying it was just roster management and we ended up putting many guys on IR. We’ve gotten a little bit banged up at the DB position. You put [Offensive Lineman] Rob [Havenstein] and [Tight End Tyler] Higbee [on IR]. With what you want to do at the tight ends on the back end and really projecting and thinking about your overall 48 and 53, it was just exclusively a numbers thing. It's just hard to keep two kickers when some of the things that have come up did.”

McVay was then asked if Karty would be signed to the practice squad.

Sep 21, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Los Angeles Rams kicker Joshua Karty (16) reacts after a field goal against the Philadelphia Eagles during the first half at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

“Absolutely," That's what we want to be able to do. I want to see what's best forJosh, first and foremost, even if that doesn't necessarily suit the Rams because of the appreciation I have for the human being. I'm certainly hopeful that the journey does continue with us in that capacity if that's something that works out for us.”

That's what the Rams did. Karty is now set to play the Rams at SoFi Stadium in the regular season-finale.

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