30 Raymond Calais RB

Calais is expected to compete for special-teams work with 2021 NFL Draft seventh-round selection Jake Funk, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.

A star on special teams in college, Calais is a speedster who played four games and recorded 152 kick-return yards as a rookie for the Rams last season. Not only will he compete with Funk for work, Los Angeles also added wide receiver DeSean Jackson through free agency, and the veteran could also be in the return-game mix. Incumbent returner Nsimba Watson is also still in the picture.

Calais could compete for a return specialist job this season, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.

The 2020 seventh-round selection was scooped off the Buccaneers practice squad last preseason and went on to play 34 special-teams snaps across four games for the Rams. Calais is an explosive speedster who piled up 2,493 kickoff return yards over four collegiate seasons with Louisiana-Lafayette. The Rams could add a running back in the 2021 NFL Draft or through free agency to make Calais' path to a roster spot more difficult, but as it stands, he appears set to compete with wide receiver Nsimba Webster for punt- and kick-return duties.

Calais (undisclosed) was placed on injured reserve Friday, NFL.com reports.

Calais played in just four games for the Rams this year, logging all of his snaps on special teams. As a kick returner, he recorded 152 yards on seven returns. Heading into the playoffs, Cam Akers, Malcolm Brown and Xavier Jones are the Rams' only running backs.

Calais (coach's decision) won't play in Sunday's game against the Eagles, Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Calais was signed off Tampa Bay's practice squad by the Rams Sept. 6 but has yet to make his NFL debut. Darrell Henderson and Xavier Jones will operate as the team's depth running backs with Calais sidelined.

The Rams signed Calais off Tampa Bay's practice squad on Sunday, Greg Auman of The Athletic reports.

The Buccaneers waived Calais on Saturday and hoped to stash him on the practice squad, but the Rams saw enough potential in the rookie seventh-round pick to justify adding him to the active roster. Calais is somewhat undersized (5-foot-8, 188 pounds), but he boasts impressive quickness and potential utility in the return game.

Calais will be waived by the Buccaneers, Greg Auman of The Athletic reports.

The seventh-round pick's chances of sticking on Tampa Bay's regular-season roster were thwarted by the Bucs' additions of veteran backs Leonard Fournette and LeSean McCoy. Calais will have an opportunity to resurface on the team's practice squad if he goes unclaimed on waivers.

Calais was mentioned by coach Bruce Arians as a candidate for kickoff returns in the wake of the knee injury suffered by T.J. Logan in Thursday's practice, Scott Smith of the team's official site reports.

Logan is scheduled to undergo surgery for the injury Saturday, and although the ailment hasn't been classified as a season-ending one for the moment, he's expected to miss a significant amount of time. That opens up opportunity for Calais, who is facing an uphill battle for a roster spot as a seventh-round rookie. Calais' elite quickness and college resume both make a strong case for his candidacy, as he compiled 2,493 kickoff return yards and two touchdowns over his four seasons at Louisiana-Lafayette. However, Logan's injury doesn't automatically clear a path for Calais to the job, considering Arians also mentioned Calais' fellow first-year position mate Ke'Shawn Vaughn as a possibility for return duties as well Friday.

Calais has been activated off the reserve/COVID-19 list, Greg Auman of The Athletic reports.

Calais was placed on the COVID list back on July 31but was back at the team's facility Thursday. The 2020 seventh-round selection has an uphill battle for reps in training camp, as he'll compete with the likes of Ronald Jones, LeSean McCoy, and Dare Ogunbowale, among others.

The Buccaneers placed Calais (illness) on the reserve/COVID-19 list Friday, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Calais is the second Bucs rookie running back after Ke'Shawn Vaughn to occupy the list, the result of either testing positive for COVID and having recent contact with someone who did. In a backfield with Ronald Jones, LeSean McCoy, Vaughn and Dare Ogunbowale, Calais, a 2020 seventh-round pick, likely will have a difficult time carving out much playing time, let alone finding a spot on the regular-season roster. First, though, Calais needs to complete the protocols of the COVID list.

Calais, whom the Buccaneers selected in the seventh round of the 2020 draft, could slot into both change-of-pace and returner roles during his rookie season, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports. "[He's] a joystick," coach Bruce Arians said of Calais. "He's one of those guys who runs a 4.33. He's a running back/receiver/kick returner that's just one of those guys I love to play with. I think both (along with third-round pick Ke'Shawn Vaughn) of those guys are gonna find a role in our ballclub."

The Louisiana-Lafayette product checks in at just 5-foot-8 and 188 pounds, which underscores the fact he'll clearly be at his best in space. Arians' lauding of Calais as a versatile asset notwithstanding, the rookie hasn't quite put much on tape as a pass catcher to date, as he finished his four-year college career with a modest 17 receptions on 23 targets. The other aspects of Calais' game are much more proven, however. The 22-year-old compiled his 1,845 career rushing yards at an eye-popping 7.8 yards per carry and added an impressive 2,493 yards (and two touchdowns) on kickoff returns, with the latter tally qualifying as the fourth highest in all of college football over the last four seasons. Taking Calais' special teams proficiency specifically into account, he could present a legitimate and immediate threat to the return opportunities of T.J. Logan (thumb) and Dare Ogunbowale.

The Buccaneers selected Calais in the seventh round of the 2020 NFL Draft, 245th overall.

Calais served as a top option in Louisiana's backfield committee from 2018-19, and he compiled 1,845 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns across his four-year career with the team. He wasn't often asked to handle receiving duties, however, and his ultimate success in Tampa Bay could come down to his ability to develop in pass protection and on third down. Calais stands to compete for a reserve role as a rookie.