Wolford was released by the Buccaneers on Tuesday, Scott Smith of the team's official site reports.
The quarterback suffered a rib injury during the preseason and was unable to beat out Kyle Trask for the backup role behind Baker Mayfield. Wolford last saw regular-season action in 2022 with the Rams.
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Buccaneers' John Wolford: Gets over injury
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Wolford (ribs) practiced Monday, Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports.
Wolford left in the fourth quarter of Saturday's exhibition loss to the Jaguars after taking a hit that resulted in a roughing the passer call. The Wake Forest product's return to the field Monday will help keep him in the running for the No. 2 role at QB behind Baker Mayfield, although Kyle Trask is considered the frontrunner for the job.
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Buccaneers' John Wolford: Strong work in second half Saturday
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Wolford completed 12 of 18 passes for 131 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions in the Buccaneers' 17-14 preseason win over the Bengals on Saturday night. He also rushed twice for four yards.
Wolford played the entire second half after Kyle Trask started and handled the first two quarters. Wolford led the Buccaneers to a field goal on his first drive and subsequently helmed an eight-play, 69-yard march late in the fourth quarter that culminated in a Ramon Jefferson three-yard go-ahead touchdown run. Wolford again profiles as a serviceable No. 3 quarterback heading into the 2024 campaign, and he should continue to see a solid allotment of playing time across the final two preseason games.
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Buccaneers' John Wolford: Questionable for Sunday
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Wolford (illness) is questionable for Sunday's game against the Lions.
Wolford popped up on the injury report as DNP on Friday due to the illness. He's not going to be anything more than the emergency third quarterback even if he is deemed healthy enough to be active Sunday.
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John Wolford: Gets practice squad chance
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Wolford signed to the Buccaneers' practice squad Wednesday, NFL.com reports.
Wolford was a distant third behind Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask in the quarterback hierarchy during training camp, so his release was not surprising. Neither is his addition to the team's practice squad as the de facto No. 3 option under center. The 27-year-old will now continue to learn the playbook at practice after spending his first three seasons with the Rams.
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Buccaneers' John Wolford: Returns to field
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Wolford (neck) was back at practice Tuesday, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports.
Wolford suffered the injury in Saturday's preseason victory over the Jets. Despite being carted off the field on a backboard and taken to a local hospital, the 27-year-old managed to avoid a serious injury, which is, of course, good news for the Wake Forest product.
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Buccaneers' John Wolford: Solid showing in preseason opener
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Wolford completed 10 of 17 passes for 111 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions and rushed once for two yards in the Buccaneers' 27-17 preseason loss to the Steelers on Friday night.
Wolford was the third quarterback into the contest after Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask played out the first installment of their intriguing preseason job battle, and it was the third-string signal-caller that actually posted the best numbers among the trio. While plenty of attention is rightfully heaped on the Mayfield-Trask competition, it's worth noting Wolford isn't exactly the average No. 3 quarterback -- he had a spring-league starting stint during his days in the AAF and also has postseason NFL experience in addition to seven regular-season appearances with the Rams from 2020 through 2022. Consequently, it wouldn't be entirely out of the question if Wolford finds his way onto the field at some point during the 2023 campaign, given Mayfield and Trask are far from locks to play effectively over an entire season.
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Buccaneers' John Wolford: Joins Tampa
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Wolford signed with Tampa Bay on Tuesday, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.
The former Ram gives the Buccaneers a third quarterback on the roster for spring practices, behind Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask. The 27-year-old Wolford started one game for the Rams in 2020 and three last year, but he hasn't shown much promise with only one TD pass and five interceptions on 104 pass attempts in the NFL.
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John Wolford: Not tendered by L.A.
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The Rams didn't extend Wolford a qualifying offer or contract tender as a restricted free agent Wednesday.
Wolford thus becomes an unrestricted free agent and hits the open market after appearing in three games for the Rams in 2022, completing 38 of 62 passes for 390 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions across 120 offensive snaps. He also rushed eight times for 32 yards and fumbled three times, losing only one. Wolford has been a viable fill-in option over the past three seasons when Matthew Stafford or Jared Goff has been injured, so it wouldn't be surprising to see the Rams bring Wolford back on a cheaper deal than his tender would have paid him.
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Rams' John Wolford: Disappoints in two starts
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Wolford completed 38 of 62 passes for 390 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions during the 2022 season, while adding eight rushing attempts for 32 yards.
Matthew Stafford (neck) going down for the season gave Wolford the chance to prove his worth as the Rams' primary backup quarterback. Wolford, who had just one start to his name coming into the season, started in Week 10 and struggled, throwing for 212 yards, a touchdown and an interception while losing a fumble. Wolford then missed the next games with a neck injury, and returned in Week 13. The two weeks of rest did nothing to prevent another rough outing for the 27-year-old quarterback, as he threw for just 178 yards and a pair of interceptions, and Wolford would fail to throw another pass the remainder of the season after the Rams signed Baker Mayfield shortly after. The third-year signal caller out of Wake Forest is a restricted free agent, but the Rams may choose to move on from the struggling Wolford and bring in veteran depth as an insurance policy for Stafford.
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Rams' John Wolford: Off injury report
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Wolford (neck) wasn't listed on the Rams' first injury report of Week 18 on Wednesday, Adam Caplan of SiriusXM NFL Radio reports.
Prior to the last three games, Wolford didn't practice due to a persistent neck injury and was inactive on each occasion. Now that he's mixed back in drills and handled every rep Wednesday, he can resume serving as a reserve signal-caller in Sunday's game in Seattle. Currently, Baker Mayfield is filling in as the starter in place of Matthew Stafford (neck), so Wolford and Bryce Perkins are the other two quarterbacks available to the Rams off the bench.
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Rams' John Wolford: Still not practicing
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Wolford (neck) was listed as a non-participant on Wednesday's estimated injury report, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.
Wolford hasn't logged any on-field activity since playing the first possession of the Rams' Week 14 win against the Raiders. A lingering neck injury is to blame, and he may be trending toward a second consecutive absence Sunday versus Denver if he remains a non-participant in practices Thursday and Friday. In any case, Baker Mayfield seems poised to run the Rams offense down the stretch as long as he's healthy, so Wolford may be afforded all the time he needs to get back to 100 percent.
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Rams' John Wolford: Only plays first series
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Wolford (neck) started but played only on the Rams' first offensive possession in Thursday's 17-16 win over the Raiders before giving way to Baker Mayfield.
Wolford handed off to Cam Akers on the first two plays and Tutu Atwell on the third, with the possession netting all of three yards. Baker Mayfield replaced Wolford on the second drive of the game and ultimately led the Rams to a comeback win while taking every snap the rest of the way, and his performance seemingly ensures Wolford will be relegated to a No. 2 role at best for a Week 15 road matchup against the Packers on Dec. 19.
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Rams' John Wolford: Status in question for Thursday
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Wolford (neck) is listed a questionable for Thursday's game against the Raiders, Anthony Galaviz of The Fresno Bee reports.
Wolford drew the start at quarterback for the Rams in Week 13, a contest in which he missed one snap after getting his foot stepped on by a Seahawks defender. On Monday, head coach Sean McVay said Wolford was dealing with a sore neck, which resulted in him being listed as a non-participant on Monday's estimated practice report before upgrading to limited listings during Tuesday's walk-through session and Wednesday's jog-through session. With Wolford's status in question for Thursday, the Rams' quarterback situation remains unsettled, especially after the team's claim of Baker Mayfield off waivers Tuesday. If he's active, Wolford likely will be out there for L.A.'s first offensive snap, but Mayfield and Bryce Perkins are the other candidates to get reps Thursday.
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Rams' John Wolford: Considered day-to-day
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Coach Sean McVay said Monday that Wolford suffered a neck injury during Sunday's loss to the Seahawks and is considered day-to-day, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.
With Matthew Stafford (neck) on IR, Wolford drew his second start of the season Week 13 and completed 14 of 26 passes for 178 yards and two interceptions. Wolford played all but one offensive snap but appears to have picked up a neck injury of his own. With the Rams on a short week, it's very possible Bryce Perkins could be in line to start Thursday's matchup against Las Vegas. However, Wolford's participation at practice this week likely will provide further clarity on the team's quarterback situation.
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Rams' John Wolford: Limited in practice Wednesday
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Wolford (neck) practiced in a limited capacity Wednesday, Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com reports.
Wolford is a step ahead of where he was last week, when he sat out Wednesday before managing limited and full practices Thursday and Friday, respectively. He was then deemed inactive for the Rams' loss to the Saints, a contest in which Matthew Stafford left early. On Wednesday, head coach Sean McVay announced that Stafford was back in the concussion protocol and dealing with a neck injury, which will sideline him Sunday at Kansas City. Because Bryce Perkins is expected to handle most of the first-team reps this week, he's the likely candidate to be the Rams' starting quarterback Sunday, but Wolford could change those plans if he resumes full drills at practice Thursday and/or Friday.
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Rams' John Wolford: Tepid numbers in Week 10 start
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Wolford completed 24 of 36 passes for 212 yards and a touchdown with an interception in Sunday's 27-17 loss to the Cardinals.
With Matthew Stafford (concussion) inactive, Wolford made his first start of the season and struggled to both move the ball and protect it, losing one of his two fumbles in addition to tossing a pick in the fourth quarter as the Rams tried to mount a comeback. Stafford appeared to be making progress in his recovery Friday but ran out of time to clear the league's concussion protocols, making it likely Wolford will return to the bench for a Week 11 clash with the Saints.
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Rams' John Wolford: Starting for Stafford in Week 10
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Wolford will start in place of Matthew Stafford (concussion) on Sunday versus the Cardinals, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.
Wolford handled the first-teams reps during Week 10 prep as Stafford attempted to clear the concussion protocol following Tuesday's diagnosis. With Stafford sidelined Sunday, Wolford will earn his third career start, including playoffs. In five overall appearances as a pro, Wolford has completed 26 of 48 passes (54.2 percent) for 265 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions and recorded nine carries for 57 yards.
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Rams' John Wolford: Positioned for Week 10 start
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Wolford appears on track to start Sunday's contest against the Cardinals with Matthew Stafford listed as questionable but not expected to clear the NFL's five-step concussion protocol prior to the game's 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.
After entering the protocol Tuesday, Stafford still has an outside shot at getting cleared early Sunday, but "barring drastic change," Fowler relays that Wolford will be stepping in for his second career regular-season start. That prior start also came against the Cardinals in the Week 17 of the 2020 season, with Wolford completing 22 of 38 attempts for 231 yards and an interception while adding six carries for 56 yards. Arizona could also be turning to a backup signal-caller in Colt McCoy this weekend with Kyler Murray (hamstring) trending toward sitting out, so both teams could end up adopting more conservative, run-heavy approaches that limit the scoring opportunities for both sides.
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Rams' John Wolford: Taking first-team reps
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Wolford has been working with the first-team offense while Matthew Stafford (elbow) manages his workload, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.
Coach Sean McVay has been trying to manage Stafford's workload with this nagging elbow issue, and Wolford has taken the opportunity to get in sync with new receiver Allen Robinson, connecting with him on multiple touchdowns during Wednesday's practice and also tossing a 50-yard score to Tutu Atwell. Stafford is known to play through injury and rarely leaves the field, but Wolford's extended work with the first-team group has, in limited action, seemed encouraging so far if Stafford's elbow isn't ready to go by Week 1.
