Calais was waived by the Rams on Saturday, James Palmer of NFL Network reports.
Calais recorded 14 yards on four rushes to go along with 10 yards on four targets in Friday's 24-20 preseason loss to the Texans. It was apparently not a good enough showing to keep him on the roster going forward. Fellow back A.J. Rose as also waived, which leaves the Rams with five running backs going forward as they look to solidify their final 53-man roster.
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Rams' Raymond Calais: Six touches in loss
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Calais rushed four times for 14 yards and secured two of four targets for 10 yards in Friday's 24-20 preseason loss to the Texans. He also returned one kick for 15 yards.
The battle for one of the depth positions at running back for the Rams didn't gain much clarity Friday, and Calais followed up his first mediocre preseason performance (8-25-0) with another against the Texans. Calais did at least showcase some pass-catching ability, as Jake Funk was the only other running back out of the four that saw the field to snag a reception. With just one preseason game remaining, Calais will need to make an impact against the Bengals next Friday to move off of the roster bubble.
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Rams' Raymond Calais: Eight rushes Saturday
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Calais rushed eight times for 25 yards in Saturday's 29-22 victory over the Chargers.
Calais is competing for a depth role with Jake Funk, Kyren Williams (foot), A.J. Rose and Trey Ragas, and he didn't move the needle much with his eight touches, maxing out with a six-yard run. Calais still led his fellow running backs in yards and tied for the most rushes with Rose, leaving the competition for a spot behind starters Cam Akers and Darrell Henderson still wide open after the first preseason game.
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Rams' Raymond Calais: Able to practice during offseason
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Calais (foot) participated in the Rams' offseason practices, Jordan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.
Calais spent the entire 2021 campaign on injured reserve after breaking his foot during the preseason. Now that he's healthy, the 2020 seventh-round pick will compete for a depth spot in Los Angeles' backfield, but his best path to a roster spot may be as a kick returner.
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Rams' Raymond Calais: Shifts to IR
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Calais (foot) was activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list Monday and moved back to injured reserve.
Calais moved to the COVID-19 list last week but now is back on injured reserve after clearing league protocols. He's been on the shelf all season after suffering a mid-foot fracture in August and undergoing surgery.
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Rams' Raymond Calais: Shifts to COVID list
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Calais (foot) was transferred to the reserve/COVID-19 list Wednesday.
Calais has been on injured reserve since suffering a mid-foot fracture in late August and subsequently undergoing surgery. He'll now be on the COVID list until he clears the health and safety protocols, when he'll revert back to injured reserve.
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Rams' Raymond Calais: Reverts to injured reserve
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Calais (foot) reverted to the Rams' injured reserve after he cleared waivers Tuesday.
Calais sustained a mid-foot fracture in Saturday's preseason game against the Raiders and will require surgery. The injury carries a 4-to-6 month recovery timetable, and the 23-year-old will be forced to miss the entire 2021 campaign unless he reaches an injury settlement with the team.
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Raymond Calais: Waived by Rams
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Calais (foot) was waived/injured by the Rams on Monday, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.
Calais suffered a a mid-foot fracture in Saturday's preseason game, and he will undergo surgery that carries a 4-to-6 month recovery timetable. The 23-year-old running back, Rodrigue added, has the ability to revert to IR once he clears waivers. Calais could potentially make a return to the field in the 2021 season if his recovery lands somewhere at the beginning of his timeline. In his absence, Xavier Jones, Jake Funk and Otis Anderson will compete for touches behind starter Darrell Henderson.
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Rams' Raymond Calais: Out for 4-to-6 months
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Calais will undergo surgery on a mid-foot fracture, which will be accompanied by a 4-to-6-month recovery timetable, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
In the wake of Cam Akers' Achilles tear, Calais was in contention for RB reps behind starter Darrell Henderson, but the injury suffered in Saturday's preseason game is threatening to wipe out his entire 2021 campaign. If Calais is fortunate enough to uphold the front end of the given timeline, he may be a candidate to return late in the regular season and/or the playoffs, if the Rams make it. With Calais out of the picture for the time being, Xavier Jones, Jake Funk and Otis Anderson are the trio vying for depth chart slotting behind Henderson.
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Rams' Raymond Calais: Will have foot procedure
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Coach Sean McVay noted that Calais suffered a foot injury in Saturday's preseason game against the Raiders that will require surgery, Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Calais had been looking to carve out a depth RB/return role with the Rams, but he's clearly going to miss some time and could be an IR candidate, depending on the nature of his procedure and expected recovery time. Expect the team to look into adding backfield reinforcement in short order.
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Rams' Raymond Calais: Questionable to return Saturday
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Calais (ankle) is listed as questionable to return to Saturday's preseason contest against the Raiders.
Last year, Calais appeared in four games and recorded 152 kick-return yards, but he now faces competition in the return game from seventh-round pick Jake Funk and veteran DeSean Jackson. The extent of his injury is unknown, but his roster spot may be in jeopardy if he is forced to miss extended time.
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Rams' Raymond Calais: Facing competition after draft
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Calais is expected to compete for special-teams work with 2021 NFL Draft seventh-round selection Jake Funk, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.
A star on special teams in college, Calais is a speedster who played four games and recorded 152 kick-return yards as a rookie for the Rams last season. Not only will he compete with Funk for work, Los Angeles also added wide receiver DeSean Jackson through free agency, and the veteran could also be in the return-game mix. Incumbent returner Nsimba Watson is also still in the picture.
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Rams' Raymond Calais: Could emerge as return specialist
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Calais could compete for a return specialist job this season, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.
The 2020 seventh-round selection was scooped off the Buccaneers practice squad last preseason and went on to play 34 special-teams snaps across four games for the Rams. Calais is an explosive speedster who piled up 2,493 kickoff return yards over four collegiate seasons with Louisiana-Lafayette. The Rams could add a running back in the 2021 NFL Draft or through free agency to make Calais' path to a roster spot more difficult, but as it stands, he appears set to compete with wide receiver Nsimba Webster for punt- and kick-return duties.
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Rams' Raymond Calais: Not suiting up Sunday
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Calais (coach's decision) won't play in Sunday's game against the Eagles, Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Calais was signed off Tampa Bay's practice squad by the Rams Sept. 6 but has yet to make his NFL debut. Darrell Henderson and Xavier Jones will operate as the team's depth running backs with Calais sidelined.
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Raymond Calais: Will be waived
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Calais will be waived by the Buccaneers, Greg Auman of The Athletic reports.
The seventh-round pick's chances of sticking on Tampa Bay's regular-season roster were thwarted by the Bucs' additions of veteran backs Leonard Fournette and LeSean McCoy. Calais will have an opportunity to resurface on the team's practice squad if he goes unclaimed on waivers.
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Buccaneers' Raymond Calais: Candidate for kickoff returns
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Calais was mentioned by coach Bruce Arians as a candidate for kickoff returns in the wake of the knee injury suffered by T.J. Logan in Thursday's practice, Scott Smith of the team's official site reports.
Logan is scheduled to undergo surgery for the injury Saturday, and although the ailment hasn't been classified as a season-ending one for the moment, he's expected to miss a significant amount of time. That opens up opportunity for Calais, who is facing an uphill battle for a roster spot as a seventh-round rookie. Calais' elite quickness and college resume both make a strong case for his candidacy, as he compiled 2,493 kickoff return yards and two touchdowns over his four seasons at Louisiana-Lafayette. However, Logan's injury doesn't automatically clear a path for Calais to the job, considering Arians also mentioned Calais' fellow first-year position mate Ke'Shawn Vaughn as a possibility for return duties as well Friday.
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Buccaneers' Raymond Calais: Activated off COVID list
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Calais has been activated off the reserve/COVID-19 list, Greg Auman of The Athletic reports.
Calais was placed on the COVID list back on July 31but was back at the team's facility Thursday. The 2020 seventh-round selection has an uphill battle for reps in training camp, as he'll compete with the likes of Ronald Jones, LeSean McCoy, and Dare Ogunbowale, among others.
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Buccaneers' Raymond Calais: Lands on COVID list
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The Buccaneers placed Calais (illness) on the reserve/COVID-19 list Friday, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Calais is the second Bucs rookie running back after Ke'Shawn Vaughn to occupy the list, the result of either testing positive for COVID and having recent contact with someone who did. In a backfield with Ronald Jones, LeSean McCoy, Vaughn and Dare Ogunbowale, Calais, a 2020 seventh-round pick, likely will have a difficult time carving out much playing time, let alone finding a spot on the regular-season roster. First, though, Calais needs to complete the protocols of the COVID list.
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Buccaneers' Raymond Calais: Could have multiple roles
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Calais, whom the Buccaneers selected in the seventh round of the 2020 draft, could slot into both change-of-pace and returner roles during his rookie season, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports. "[He's] a joystick," coach Bruce Arians said of Calais. "He's one of those guys who runs a 4.33. He's a running back/receiver/kick returner that's just one of those guys I love to play with. I think both (along with third-round pick Ke'Shawn Vaughn) of those guys are gonna find a role in our ballclub."
The Louisiana-Lafayette product checks in at just 5-foot-8 and 188 pounds, which underscores the fact he'll clearly be at his best in space. Arians' lauding of Calais as a versatile asset notwithstanding, the rookie hasn't quite put much on tape as a pass catcher to date, as he finished his four-year college career with a modest 17 receptions on 23 targets. The other aspects of Calais' game are much more proven, however. The 22-year-old compiled his 1,845 career rushing yards at an eye-popping 7.8 yards per carry and added an impressive 2,493 yards (and two touchdowns) on kickoff returns, with the latter tally qualifying as the fourth highest in all of college football over the last four seasons. Taking Calais' special teams proficiency specifically into account, he could present a legitimate and immediate threat to the return opportunities of T.J. Logan (thumb) and Dare Ogunbowale.
