Michael Sam, who became the first openly gay football player to be drafted by an NFL team, may not make the cut in a talent-packed St Louis Rams roster, it has been revealed.

With teams cutting their rosters down from 90 players to 75 yesterday, and selecting their final 53 players this weekend, Sam has tried to present himself as a versatile entity, playing kickoffs for the Rams special teams squad, an unusual move for a defensive end.

Rams coach Jeff Fisher, speaking to Daily News, had to say, “He’s no different than any other late-round pick or college free agent that we have. He’s just trying to make this team. We have a reality that we can only keep so many players in that position. Is he better than that fourth or fifth defensive end? Right now, I can’t answer that”.

Sam’s profile has been boosted significantly by his newsworthy personal life, though it is clear that officials do not wish to select the player because of his biography rather than his ranking in talent. However, insiders say that should Sam fail to make the roster, it seems “highly likely” that he will find a place on a practice squad elsewhere.

The 24 year-old, who was presented with an ‘Arthur Ashe Courage Award’ at the ESPYs in July, came out as gay earlier this year and was later selected in the seventh round of the NFL draft in May. At the time he told ESPN, “I understand how big this is, no one has done this before. And it’s kind of a nervous process, but I know what I want to be…I want to be a football player in the NFL”.

Fans of the Texas-native shouldn’t despair though, Tyson Langlan says, as heading into the preseason final, Sam has tallied three quarterback sacks, four quarterback hits and five combined tackles. Even though those numbers have come against second- and third-string offensive linemen, they are said to be “impressive” nonetheless.