BREAKING: Rams Make Key Roster Moves as Playoff Push Intensifies: “Baby Gronk” and Derion Kendrick Join the Team
Los Angeles, CA – November 27, 2025
In a day filled with significant moves, the Los Angeles Rams have bolstered their roster ahead of a critical stretch in their season. Head coach Sean McVay, known for his strategic decision-making, has brought in veteran tight end Nick Vannett—affectionately known as “Baby Gronk”—and reacquired cornerback Derion Kendrick, making these key roster shifts in response to a series of injuries that have threatened the team’s depth.
The Rams were awarded Kendrick, a cornerback they originally drafted in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, after the Seattle Seahawks waived him. Kendrick, 25, was waived by the Rams at the end of the preseason, only to find his way back to Los Angeles after a solid 2025 campaign with Seattle. This season, Kendrick has played in 10 games, recording 7 total tackles, 5 pass deflections, and 2 interceptions. His versatility, with the ability to play both inside and outside, is expected to be crucial as the Rams deal with injuries to multiple defensive backs.
Kendrick’s addition is especially timely after the Rams were forced to place starting cornerback Roger McCreary on injured reserve due to a groin issue. McVay called the injury a "bummer," especially considering the Rams had already lost safety Quentin Lake to a dislocated elbow earlier in the season. The loss of McCreary, acquired at the trade deadline, further thins the Rams' secondary, making Kendrick’s return all the more significant. McVay expressed confidence that Kendrick’s familiarity with the system and game experience would prove vital.
“I feel fortunate that guys we’re asking to step up are people who understand what’s going on, have real game experience, and that means a lot this time of year,” McVay said.
The Rams’ tight end position also received a boost with the signing of Vannett, who has been a reliable option throughout his career. Vannett, 32, was with the Minnesota Vikings' practice squad before Los Angeles added him to their active roster. Known as "Baby Gronk" due to his physical style of play, Vannett brings veteran leadership to a position hit hard by injury. Tyler Higbee, the team’s primary tight end, was recently placed on injured reserve due to an ankle injury, and he is expected to miss at least three games. Vannett, a third-round pick of the Seattle Seahawks in 2016, has caught 108 passes for 1,012 yards and 9 touchdowns in his career, making him a solid addition to a Rams offense that has struggled to maintain consistency at the tight end spot this season.
These moves come as the Rams are heading into their Week 13 matchup against the Carolina Panthers. With the playoff race intensifying, McVay is focused on adding depth to a roster that has been decimated by injuries but still has a fighting chance at postseason play. In addition to Kendrick and Vannett, the Rams also welcomed back cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon and wide receiver Tutu Atwell, both of whom have been on injured reserve for over a month. Witherspoon, who broke his collarbone in Week 2, and Atwell, who suffered a hamstring injury in Week 7, will provide much-needed reinforcement in the secondary and at wide receiver.
As McVay continues to manage an injury-riddled roster, he remains optimistic about the team’s depth, citing the return of experienced players like Witherspoon and Atwell as a key factor in the Rams’ postseason aspirations.
“This is the time of year where guys are stepping up, and we need everyone ready to contribute,” McVay said.
With injuries continuing to challenge the Rams, the acquisition of Vannett and Kendrick, along with the return of key veterans, highlights McVay’s commitment to making a deep playoff run. The Rams will need all the help they can get as they enter the final stretch of the season, and these strategic roster moves may be just what they need to keep their postseason hopes alive.
As the Rams look to keep their playoff dreams intact, McVay’s confidence in his roster’s ability to step up during critical moments will be tested in the coming weeks. The team’s depth will undoubtedly be put to the test, and these additions represent the Rams’ effort to continue competing at a high level, despite the adversity they’ve faced this season.
Just 48 Hours After Being Cut, Former First-Round Pick Stuns NFL by Declaring He Wants to Join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Even Willing to Take a Pay Cut Just to Wear the Jersey
Tampa, Florida — Today
Just two days after being released by the Cowboys, Kaiir Elam, the former first-round pick of the Buffalo Bills, has stunned the NFL by making one thing very clear: he wants to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — and he’s even willing to take a pay cut just for the chance to wear red and pewter.
At just 24 years old, Elam isn’t hiding what he wants. People close to him say he immediately told his representatives that “the Buccaneers are my No. 1 choice.” For him, this isn’t about chasing the biggest paycheck. This is about identity, redemption, and a player trying to find the version of himself he still believes in.
Back in Buffalo, Elam showed exactly why he was a first-rounder. He posted 47 tackles as a rookie and delivered a huge interception in the 2022 Wild Card game against the Miami Dolphins — a moment that made Bills Mafia believe they’d found their next impact corner. But injuries, scheme changes, and depth chart battles slowly pushed his career off track in a way no one expected.
Through all of it, though, Elam’s belief in himself never disappeared. He still believes he can be the player Buffalo thought they drafted — if he can find the right environment. And in his mind, Tampa Bay is that place. A defense built on being tough, physical, disciplined — exactly the kind of football Elam has always wanted to play, from Florida to the pros.
Shortly after leaving Dallas, Elam shared a message that immediately caught the attention of Buccaneers fans and league insiders alike:
“If I have to start from the bottom in Tampa, I’m ready. I’m not asking for guarantees. I just need a chance to compete, to earn it, and to be worthy of that jersey.”
In a league where young players often look for bigger roles, bigger markets, and bigger numbers, a former first-round pick choosing sacrifice over entitlement says everything about where his mindset is now. Especially at a time when the Buccaneers sit at 8–3, locked in a playoff race and quietly worrying about depth in the secondary.
According to multiple sources, Tampa Bay has taken notice. A young corner with length, speed, press-man ability, flashes of playoff production, and a burning desire to prove himself again — that’s exactly the kind of player playoff teams like to bring in late in the year.
Elam isn’t promising stardom. He isn’t demanding a starting job. He isn’t negotiating over snap counts.
He’s only promising work, humility, and a relentless hunger to become himself again — in a Buccaneers uniform.
And as the news spreads through Bucs Nation, one thing is becoming more and more clear:
The story of Kaiir Elam might be far from over.
It might just be getting its next chapter —
in Tampa, at Raymond James Stadium, under the bright lights of December, where players either fade… or finally become who they were meant to be.
