Rams Make Major Change on Special Teams, Cut Xavier Smith

The Los Angeles Rams have made a major change to their special teams unit. After special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone said that the team wasn’t considering a change at punt returner on Thursday, the Rams cut wide receiver and punt returner Xavier Smith.

When Ventrone was asked directly if there had been any thought about replacing Smith, he specifically said that there hadn’t been.

“No, we have a lot of trust in ‘X’, I really do,” said Ventrone. “He's put in a lot of time and effort in training camp and obviously moving into the season. I think that he'll do the necessary things to be able to sustain at that position for us.”

However, not even 24 hours after that statement from Ventrone, the Rams officially waived Smith on Friday morning.

The Rams have waived WR Xavier Smith.
— Sarah Barshop (@sarahbarshop) October 2, 2026

An argument can be made that the Rams stuck with Smith for too long. Smith was responsible for a muffed punt in the NFC Championship Game against the Seattle Seahawks that turned into points on the very next play.

The Rams mixed Kyren Williams in at punt return during training camp, but it was eventually Smith who won out after his 44-yard return in the first preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Through the first three games of the season, consistency was an issue for Smith on both the kick and punt return units. Smith was fielding punts he shouldn’t have, putting the offense in poor field position.

While many were focused on Ventrone saying that the team wasn’t considering a change, he also noted that Smith had been inconsistent in the same press conference.

“Yeah, I would say overall, he's been inconsistent,” Ventrone said. “We need to do a better job of tracking the ball, judging the ball, fielding the ball when necessary, not fielding it in other situations.”

Smith was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2023 and spent the entirety of his rookie season on the practice squad. In 2024, Smith got a run as the team’s punt returner and his 38-yard return set the Rams up to kick a game-winning field goal against the San Francisco 49ers. However, over the last two years, Smith was too inconsistent and with the Rams struggling on special teams, a change was needed.

As the Rams look ahead to Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles, it will be interesting to see who returns punts. The Rams could call up Alex Bachman from the practice squad or simply have Williams return punts this week as they consider options.

Moving on from Smith is at least an acknowledgment from the Rams that what they were currently doing on special teams wasn’t working. It’s played a key role in their 1-2 start, and the return game has been part of the problem. The Rams recognized that a change needed to be made. While moving on from Smith won’t change everything, but it’s a step in the right direction.

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