Rams Waive Xavier Smith After Struggles On Special Teams

The Los Angeles Rams announced on Friday morning that they waived wide receiver/return specialist Xavier Smith from their 53-man roster.

The move comes after Smith has continued to struggle on special teams. His latest blunder came against the Denver Broncos on Sunday Night Football, when he fielded a punt at the goal line and put the Rams offense deep in their own end.

Rams special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone said earlier this week that Smith needed to improve, but that the team still trusted him and wasn’t planning to remove him from his role as return specialist.

Rams special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone said Xavier Smith has been “inconsistent” in the return game thru 3 weeks. “We need to do a better job of tracking the ball, judging the ball, fielding the ball.” Says there’s no consideration of a change at returner

— Adam Grosbard (@AdamGrosbard) October 1, 2026

The Rams obviously had a change of heart and now will be looking for a new return specialist to replace Smith.

Smith infamously muffed two punts in the Rams’ NFC Championship Game loss to the Seattle Seahawks last year, but the team ended up bringing up back as an exclusive rights free agent during the offseason.

Prior to being waived, Smith returned seven punt returns for 69 yards this season, with a long of 19 yards. He has also brought back seven kickoffs for 144 yards.

Alex Bachman, who has previous experience as a return man, will be elevated from the Rams’ practice squad to fill that role in Week 4 against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Puka Nacua returning against Eagles?

Puka Nacua has missed the last two games for the Los Angeles Rams due to separate hip and groin injuries, but continues to make progress toward returning to the field.

After participating in several practices this week, head coach Sean McVay said he expects the Pro Bowl wide receiver to be back on the field when the team faces the Eagles on Sunday.

The latest update on Nacua is certainly welcome news as there was some talk last week that he could potentially undergo surgery if his groin didn’t improve.

That no longer appears to be an option, and the 25-year-old is now set to return to the Rams after missing only two games.

Without Nacua, the Rams relied heavily on Davante Adams and their tight ends in the passing game. While they found some success, L.A. is a much different team when Nacua is on the field.

He caught five passes for 74 yards in his only game against the San Francisco 49ers this season and now will look to pick up where he left off when the Rams try to get back to .500 against the Eagles.