Now in his second season on the Redskins' practice squad, tight end Je'Ron Hamm uses each week's practices to improve on his game, especially blocking.
In a continued progression from college wide receiver to tight end, Je'Ron Hamm once again finds himself on the Washington Redskins' practice squad.
Currently, he is the only player to be on the team's practice squad both last season and this season.
Clearly, the organization likes what it sees.
"I feel like every day is a learning experience to getting better," Hamm told Redskins.com. "I'm just working on technique and the little things and finding a way to get out there and improve."
Hamm has the physical tools to be a pass-catching threat in the NFL, as he stands at 6-foot-3 and weighs in at more than 235 pounds.
At the University of Louisiana-Monroe, Hamm recorded 111 career receptions for 1,587 yards and 10 touchdowns.
But while the ability to be a receiving threat was always there, from his first NFL stint with the New Orleans Saints to the Redskins last fall, Hamm was open about the need to improve on his blocking.
After the season-ending injuries to Niles Paul and Logan Paulsen, and with Jordan Reed missing a good chunk of the preseason, Hamm was given the opportunity to work with the first-team offense during preseason games.
While he would ultimately not make the team's 53-man roster with the Redskins electing to go with more experience in Derek Carrier and Anthony McCoy, his blocking is improving.
"I feel like it's improved a lot," Hamm said. "I guess I just need to continue to work on it and watch film of guys who are probably in my same position, and try to continue to improve and gain the trust of the coaches."
A week in the life of a practice squad member
No, you won't see them on the sidelines on Sunday or in the box score on Mondays.
But practice squad members are key to the team in the days leading up to gameday.
They work against the team's first-team, simulating the actions and plays of the upcoming opponent.
"It's really about three days of work," Hamm said. "You practice Wednesday, Thursday and Friday with everybody and then you pretty much do everything except for the game. There's the three days of practice, the walkthrough and then on the weekend it's just pretty much off."
Going to New York
The team usually elects to travel at least one practice squad player to away games during the season, and Hamm got a chance to be with his teammates on the road for the game against the New York Jets on Oct. 18.
Hamm got to see first-hand what a regular season gameday is like.
"Yeah, it was cool," Hamm said. "I mean the preseason is kind of the same; the game is a little earlier so of course everything is a bit faster. The focus in the regular season was a more focused feeling. It was cool to be with those guys and to stand on the sidelines to support my teammates."
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