After his final preseason game, Rams defensive end Michael Sam said he expects to survive tomorrow’s cutdown and be on the regular-season roster — or to get picked up by some other team if the Rams cut him.
“I’m very confident,” Sam said, via the Associated Press. “I’m going to sleep really well tonight and I’m very confident I’m going to be on a team, the Rams or any other team in the NFL.”
Sam has played well throughout the preseason and played well again on Thursday night against the Dolphins, leading the team with five solo tackles. Unfortunately for Sam, the Rams are deep on the defensive line and won’t be an easy roster for any seventh-round draft pick to make. Sam is widely viewed as competing with fellow rookie defensive end Ethan Westbrooks for the final roster spot, and Westbrooks had a very good preseason finale, with a sack, a tackle for loss and two quarterback hits.
If Sam gets cut by the Rams when they get down to the 53-player limit on Saturday, he’ll go on waivers and be available to all 31 other teams. Sam has played well enough in the preseason to make a good case that if he doesn’t last with the Rams, some other team should pick him up, and he’ll become the first openly gay player to make a regular-season roster.