X-Man Continues to Fly the Rams to the Endzone

One of the most shocking stories of camp, Smith, who has been used as a gunner and returner in his career, has taken that massive step in his pass-catching game, a step that is earning the trust of the Rams and offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur.

Smith, a member of the wide receiver room led by Davante Adams, nearly established himself as the team's preseason WR1 with big time plays on the first two drives on the game. On the Rams' first drive, Smith made a highly contested catch on fourth and six, maintaining possession and establishing himself in bounds against a tight sideline.

The play put the Rams within ten yards to the end zone. Blake Corum would score a touchdown a few plays later.

On the second drive, Smith burned a Dallas DB so badly, he tackled Smith with the ball mid-air to prevent a touchdown. The penalty would turn into another Corum touchdown.

LaFleur shows the love

Smith has been making plays like that all through camp. So I asked LaFleur for his thoughts regarding Smith's efforts.

“I think that ‘X-Man’ [Xavier Smith] has just gotten better and better," stated LaFleur. "I think that that goes from the first years here a few years ago to last year making a few plays when we need it whether it be special teams stepping in or like for Seattle when we were resting some of our starters, I thought he played excellent there. There have been a few times he was put in a real tough situation and he got us out of those situations to keep us in more manageable situations.

He’s only gotten better. I think per the conversation we were just having in terms of, what do you see from these guys one year to two year to three year? The more you know and he knows our offense really well. He’s comfortable going in a lot of different spots. He's got a unique skillset. I think he's always been a strong guy, but he looks stronger to me. He looks sturdier, in a good way. I'm really pleased with where he's at. Again, like a lot of these guys, you just continue to stack days.”

As Smith enters his third year in the NFL, he has taken the unenviable journey to the league. Now he sits at the precipice a living a career most could never dream. X-Man continues to show what he can do. So what does he do next?