Matt Longacre making the most of his opportunities

Rams defensive end Matt Longacre making the most of his opportunities

By JACK WANG / STAFF WRITER

THOUSAND OAKS – Matt Longacre has been with the Rams for almost 18 months, but sometimes, he can’t completely shake his apprehension – the feeling that any given week, he could either be thrust into the starting lineup, or cut from the roster entirely.

That’s the mentality that comes with having clawed his way into the NFL – a path that has seem him go from an undrafted defensive end out of Northwest Missouri State, to practice squad member, to one of 53 names on the active roster. In a 17-13 road win over the Cardinals on Sunday, Longacre made his season debut – registering two tackles while playing a career-high 43 snaps on defense.

And with starting defensive ends William Hayes and Robert Quinn limited by ankle and shoulder injuries, respectively, Sunday’s home game against the Bills looms as another potential opportunity.

“You know your time’s going to come,” Longacre said after a recent practice. “You just don’t know when. You just have to look at it like that.”

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