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In wake of declining a pay cut, the Rams are cutting safety Blake Countess, NFL Network's Ian Rappoport reported.
The team asked Countess to take a pay cut from his $2.025 million tender, and the sides could not come to terms, per Rapoport.
The #Rams asked DB Blake Countess to take a pay cut from his $2M tender and they could not come to terms, source said. They are releasing him. LA drafted two safeties this year, but the door is open to return if he clears waivers.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 2, 2019
The Rams drafted Washington safety Taylor Rapp with the 61st overall pick and used the 243rd choice on Penn State safety Nick Scott. They have Eric Weddle and John Johnson III as starters.
Los Angeles, though, is keeping the door open for Countess if he clears waivers, according to Rapoport.
The Rams placed an original-round tender on Countess in March, and he signed it last month. The Eagles drafted Countess in the sixth round of the 2016 draft. He did not make it out of the preseason with the Eagles and signed with the Rams’ practice squad before earning a promotion to the 53-player roster.
Countess appeared in all 16 games last season and has played 37 in his three seasons. He has recovered blocked punts for touchdowns each of the past two seasons and returned 17 kickoffs for the NFC champs last season. Countess also has two career interceptions.
Countess earned a Pro Football Focus grade of 66.5 last season, which is above average and near starter-level production.
The move could also indicate a higher focus when it comes to improving the run defense. Fewer snaps for the smaller Countess means more opportunities for a guy like Rapp to make some tackles in run situations.
