Los Angeles Rams tight end Nikola Kalinic (83) after an NFL preseason football game Saturday, Aug. 26, 2023, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
The Los Angeles Rams have signed Canadian tight end Nikola Kalinic to a reserve/future contract following their elimination from the NFL playoffs.
The 26-year-old spent the entire 2023 season on the practice roster with the team. He is one of three Canadian players on the Rams alongside offensive lineman Alaric Jackson and outside linebacker Michael Hoecht.
Kalinic was a member of the Indianapolis Colts in 2022, spending the first half of the season on their practice roster. He was promoted to the active roster for the second half of the season, dressing for seven games and recording one kickoff return for 15 yards.
The Toronto native was selected by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the second round of the 2019 CFL Draft out of York University. He dressed for 30 games over two seasons with the club and recorded 23 receptions for 192 yards and two touchdowns.
At the 2019 CFL Combine, Kalinic recorded a 4.79-second forty-yard dash, 4.44-second shuttle, 7.44-second three-cone, 30.5-inch vertical, nine-foot, four-inch broad jump, and 10 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press.
The six-foot-four, 245-pounder appeared in 31 games over four seasons (2015-18) at York and caught 38 passes for 416 yards and two touchdowns. He became the first player in school history to be named to the OUA all-star team twice in one season, once on offence and once on special teams.
Kalinic worked out for a number of teams prior to signing with the Colts in January 2022, including the Colts, Packers, Tennessee Titans, New Orleans Saints, Seattle Seahawks, and New York Giants.
