The Rams didn't want Michael Sam, and that's a good thing
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Michael Sam was never going to fit with the Rams. That doesn't mean we won't see the defensive end on the field this year.
The math was never in Sam's favor in St. Louis. No matter how you slice it, Sam was always on the outside. Jeff Fisher took nine defensive linemen and five defensive ends. The Rams were covered from Day 1. Sam was a luxury, an insurance policy.
An insurance policy who proved capable of making an impact on the NFL. Was it shocking that St. Louis opted to not sign Sam to their practice roster? Perhaps, though some would consider it a blessing for the seventh round pick out of Missouri.
A blessing because Sam wants to play. He was never going to play in St. Louis. There were simply too many players in front of him. By letting him go cleanly, the Rams give Sam the opportunity to find a team that legitimately needs him. More importantly, there is a team who needs him. And now he needs to find them.
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Sam did everything that was asked of him in St. Louis. He wasn't a distraction when many said he would be. He made plays when people said he couldn't. He was a professional who did the job asked of him.
"He's not about drawing attention to himself," Fisher said after cutting Sam from the 53-man roster. "He kept his head down and worked and you can't ask anything more out of any player for that matter."
He did it right, even when he was released.
"The most worthwhile things in life rarely come easy, this is a lesson I've always known. The journey continues," Sam tweeted hours after learning he was cut.
Sam's journey started in St. Louis, it didn't end there. His path in the NFL is only beginning.
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