After suffering a string of injuries so wide-ranging and consistently disappointing that it has called the entire season into question following a 0-2 start, the Los Angeles Rams have further fortified their roster following injuries to Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, signing ex-Lions wide receiver Quintez Cephus to their practice squad ahead of a pivotal Week 3 match against the San Francisco 49ers.
Initially drafted in the fifth round out of Wisconsin, Cephus played his first three seasons in the NFL as a member of the Detroit Lions, catching his first-ever touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford in 2020.
However, he was consistently met with one issue after another as a pro, landing on injured reserve in October of 2021 and October of 2022 before the NFL suspended him indefinitely in 2023 for gambling.
From there, he signed with the Buffalo Bills after the league reinstated him in 2024. The Bills released him in May. He then signed with the Houston Texans in July before Texans released him in August.
Now afforded a chance to not only compete but potentially contribute once more alongside his former Lions quarterback, it will be interesting to see if Cephus can finally put it all together and look like a consistent contributor in Los Angeles or if he will be nothing more than a stopgap on a team looking for an identity.
Quintez Cephus brings more than a subpar 40 time to the Rams
Back in Detroit, Stafford and Cephus actually formed a pretty good connection for the Lions, as despite his issues staying on the field, the duo were dynamite on it with the Wisconsin product averaging 15.4 yards per reception despite not fitting the traditional athletic profile of a deep threat. This included a pair of touchdown receptions in each of his first two seasons.
Discussing his 40 time – 4.72 – shortly after the combine, which saw the highly touted prospect's draft stock take a tumble due to legitimate questions surrounding his functional NFL speed, Cephus told reporters at the time that he doesn't much care about the number as he's always been a football player, not a runner.
“I wanted to run better — run a better 40-yard dash. I think personally I can run. That's just 40 yards to me. I was never really a runner; I was a football player — always just a great athlete. I kind of prided myself on just being an athlete and knowing what to do on the football field,” Cephus explained via SI.
“It was tough. You people put a lot of hype on the 40. But really, I just went back in my head and just said, ‘That didn't get me where I am being a football player.' Playing on the football field got me to where I am.”
In Detroit, Cephus didn't look like one of the slowest players in the NFL with his first touchdown coming on a 49-yard bomb from Stafford and his yards-per-reception average ranking among the best on his Lions teams in each of his first two seasons as a pro.
If the Rams can get that player in Cephus, a big-bodied target with a preexisting connection with their starting quarterback, who knows, maybe he will contribute sooner rather than later as Nacua and Kupp recover from their respective injuries.
Follow Us
Subscribe
