What a difference a day makes.
Less than 24 hours after Rams special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone said the team was not going to replace punt returner Xavier Smith, the team on Friday released him.
Smith, 29, is a third-year pro who signed with the Rams as an undrafted free agent and worked his way into a role as a kick returner and rotational receiver.
Smith appeared to be on his way to overcoming a major error in last season’s NFC championship game, when he lost a fumble in the 31-27 defeat by the Seattle Seahawks.
But through three games, Ventrone on Thursday described Smith’s performance as “inconsistent.”
“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,” Ventrone told reporters. “He knows that and hopefully we’ll get the improvements that we need in that area.”
Ventrone was asked if there was any thought about replacing Smith as the punt returner.
“No, we have a lot of trust in ‘X’, I really do,” Ventrone said. “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.”
But on Friday morning, the Rams announced they had waived Smith.
Running back Kyren Williams has practiced returning punts since training camp. Receiver Tutu Atwell, who was reacquired in a trade on the eve of the season, also has worked at the position.
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