Rams waive linebacker who they had claimed only one day earlier

One day after signing linebacker Sterling Weatherford, the Los Angeles Rams have waived him because he reportedly couldn’t pass the physical examination. This should leave an open spot on the Rams roster now.

The hybrid linebacker/safety was claimed on July 26 off of waivers from the Chicago Bears and officially released, per the Rams official website, the next day, July 27.

Weatherford went undrafted in 2022 out of Miami of Ohio. He was signed by Indianapolis Colts and released in final cuts. The Bears picked him up and he logged 224 special teams snaps with tackles. Before failing the physical with L.A., he was set to join a Rams linebacker room that already claimed seven of eight players from the undrafted ranks.

Back in March 2022, I capsuled Weatherford as a possible draft addition for the Rams.

Sterling Weatherford- Miami of Ohio 6’3’’ 230 lbs. @ Senior Bowl

Got a jump on the transition by working out at the Senior Bowl as a linebacker and by all reports showed very well, so the move isn’t a stretch. Weatherford had a lot of snaps in the box while in college, where he was very strong fighting off blocks and setting an edge. He has the physical attributes to reroute tight ends and the speed to run with backs.

At the Miami of Ohio Pro Day workout, he ran a 4.57 forty, 6.98 in the 3cone and 4.28 in the short shuttle. He also had a 36” vertical jump and pushed 21 reps on the bench press. His length is not extraordinary, but certainly proportional at a 76 1/2” wingspan.

His future with the Rams as well as the rest of the NFL is now undecided, but not being able to stick with the team for longer than a day because of medical news is definitely not what either the team or player wanted to find out.