Rams waive wide receiver Xavier Smith, promote running back Dean Connors in roster shakeup
The Los Angeles Rams waived wide receiver Xavier Smith on Oct. 2, 2026, the team said on its transactions page. Smith had served as the club’s primary punt returner through the first three weeks of the 2026 season and was the Rams’ punt returner during the 2025 season. The move creates an immediate vacancy in the club’s punt-return duties.
The team listed Alex Bachman as a practice squad veteran and indicated he is expected to assume punt-return duties following Smith’s release. The Rams added Bachman to the practice squad as part of their final roster moves on Aug. 31. He provides depth at wide receiver and a potential special-teams option.
Los Angeles moved running back Dean Connors from the practice squad to the active roster on Sept. 29, according to the transactions page. The club also activated Connors and inside linebacker Elias Neal via standard elevations on Sept. 26. Both players had been added to the practice squad during the late-August roster transactions.
On Sept. 23 the transactions list shows the Rams placed running back Ronnier Rivers on injured reserve and signed safety Maximus Pulley to the active roster. The transactions page documents continued roster churn through September and late August. That log includes multiple practice squad additions on Aug. 31 such as defensive back Nick Andersen, offensive tackle Austin Blaske, running back Dean Connors and wide receiver Alex Bachman.
NFL Sports Blog Take
Waiving Xavier Smith removes the Rams’ most-used punt returner and forces the club to rely on internal options for returning duties, with practice squad veteran Alex Bachman the immediate candidate to fill that role. Promoting Dean Connors bolsters the running back group at a time when Ronnier Rivers is on injured reserve, and the standard elevations of Connors and inside linebacker Elias Neal reflect how teams use the practice squad for short-term depth. The flurry of late-August and September transactions underscores the Rams’ effort to balance depth across skill positions and the secondary, per the team transactions page.