The Los Angeles Rams lost one of their young backs this week, but the move may actually create an unexpected opportunity for rookie Jarquez Hunter.
On Tuesday, the Jacksonville Jaguars signed running back Cody Schrader off the Rams’ practice squad to their 53-man roster. The transaction came less than 24 hours after Jacksonville dealt Tank Bigsby to the Philadelphia Eagles for a pair of late-round draft picks in 2026. Schrader, who just missed LA’s 53-man cut coming out of camp, had been elevated for the Rams’ Week 1 win over Houston, logging four snaps on special teams.
While the Jaguars are likely to use him in a similar role behind Travis Etienne, Bhayshul Tuten, and LeQuint Allen, Schrader’s departure shines a spotlight on the Rams’ backfield rotation and Hunter’s place in it.
Why Schrader Slipped Away
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There were ways the Rams could have kept Schrader in-house — signing him to the active roster, for example. But as roster choices shook out, Sean McVay and Les Snead made clear decisions about depth. Darious Williams was held out but kept on the roster, while five tackles were retained even though two were inactive. Ultimately, Schrader was left exposed, and Jacksonville pounced.
This isn’t the first time the Jaguars have beaten Snead to a player. Former Rams executive James Gladstone, now Jacksonville’s general manager, has developed a reputation for snatching prospects LA values. The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue recalled one such moment on the NFL Daily Podcast:
“Because James Gladstone, the GM for the Jaguars, man, he really p***** off his old boss and mentor, Les Snead, because that was a player the Rams had very, very high on their draft board, and James Gladstone also had him very, very high on their draft board,” Rodrigue said, noting Snead’s interest in Virginia Tech running back Bhayshul Tuten, whom Jacksonville selected 104th overall.
The pattern has become so pronounced that some around the league have joked the Rams are “dealing with another Les Snead, but if Snead were in his f— them picks era.”
McVay Still Trusts Williams, But Hunter’s Window Opens
McVay has been clear that Kyren Williams is the workhorse for Los Angeles, but he also emphasized the need to spread opportunities.
“Yeah, we’d like Blake [Corum] to get more,” McVay said Sunday. “I’d like us to be able to run the ball more efficiently. I’d like to do a better job for our group. I’d like us to be more efficient on early downs, be able to sustain some more drives. It was a unique game. Sometimes those things can unfold, but that is not ideal. I want to get Blake some more work.”
He added that while Williams’ performance was strong, the Rams need “better continuity” and “more sustained drives” to truly balance snap counts.
That’s where Jarquez Hunter comes in. The rookie was inactive in Week 1, with Schrader taking the special teams snaps. Now, with Schrader gone, Hunter is in line for opportunities the team can no longer defer.
What This Means For Hunter
Hunter will need to show he can handle multiple roles — whether as a change-of-pace runner, a third-down option, or on special teams — to carve out a spot. The Rams could turn to Ronnie Rivers if he falters, but observers believe Hunter has the tools.
“A player with that much heart, skill, and toughness typically fails to fail,” one analyst noted. And given the Rams’ current roster math, he may not have long to prove it.
The NFL can be unforgiving. Teams that hesitate to protect their own talent, as the Rams just experienced with Schrader, often pay the price. For Hunter, however, it’s the kind of opening that could accelerate his path from draft pick to contributor.
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