Now that the book has closed on the Los Angeles Rams preseason, the L.A. braintrust can concentrate on the hard work of building out the opening 53 player roster. The 17-15 road-loss to the Houston Texans bordered on tedium, but it did create a perfect circumstance to get a leg up on my own opening roster projection./cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73542241/usa_today_24070589.0.jpg)
Although the official final cut deadline isn’t until Tuesday August 27 at 1 p.m. PST, in theory, the Rams could start announcing moves at any moment. Particularly if they move on from veteran players, who become unrestricted free agents and are not tossed into the waiver claim churn of humanity.
Opening 53 projections are in bold and possible designations in italics.
Quarterback (2)
Matthew Stafford, Stetson Bennett, Jimmy Garappolo (Suspended list)
Bennett will almost assuredly be waived after Week 2 (unless tragedy strikes) and bump Winn off the practice squad.
Running back (3)
Kyren Williams, Blake Corum, Ronnie Rivers
Scott or Evans didn’t show enough to overcome the Top 3. Does Scott really offer much value in the Top 48 as RB#4? I can’t make that argument. If/when released, he is a free agent and can negotiate with any team. Evans will stay in the fold, just not on the active roster.
Wide receiver (7)
Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua, Demarcus Robinson, Tutu Atwell, Jordan Whittington, Xavier Smith, Tyler Johnson
It’s a champagne problem to have, but finding enough footballs to go around will be the early struggle. Who can grab the kick return touches? Atwell and Smith make as fast a combo as there is in the NFL.
Tight end (3)
Colby Parkinson, Davis Allen, Hunter Long, Tyler Higbee ( PUP List)
I was greatly disappointed in the tight ends preseason blocking. It’s simply a must in the Rams system. Although Parkinson should get the lion’s share of reps, it’s a blue-collar role in L.A. and easy to get nicked up.
Offensive line (10)
Joseph Noteboom, Jonah Jackson, Steve Avila, Kevin Dotson, Rob Havenstein, Warren McClendon, Beaux Limmer, Logan Bruss, Zach Thomas, AJ Arcuri, AJ Jackson (Suspended List)
Hard to say if Havenstein is an IR candidate, he was listed as questionable for the final preseason game on the official NFL Injury Report. He does have two full weeks before the season opener. Even with abundant overall depth, tackle appears a little thin.
Special teams (3)
Punter Ethan Evans, kicker Joshua Karty, long snapper Alex Ward
Locks, all three.
Defensive tackle (6)
Kobie Turner, Bobby Brown, Braden Fiske, Tyler Davis, Desjuan Johnson, Cory Durden, Larrell Murchison (Candidate for Injured Reserve List)
Unless he’s made substantial healing progress, better to push the decision on Murchison down the road a few weeks with a designation rather than release. Things will be much clearer then on how this very young group develops.
Edge (5)
Byron Young, Jared Verse, Michael Hoecht, Nick Hampton, Brennan Jackson
Jackson finally got some play time and the results were mixed, and although Mathis, Thomas, and Van Valkenburg played pretty well, they didn’t stand out enough to push past his draft status.
Off-ball linebacker (5)
Ernest Jones, Christian Rozeboom, Troy Reeder, Jake Hummel, Omar Speights
Is it too far out there to think that Jones knee is going to continue to be a problem? I think I look rather dapper in tin foil. Seems like an awful lot of bodies for LB#2, a part-time role in the recent past, and special teams work.
Safety (5)
Kamren Curl, John Johnson, Quentin Lake, Kam Kinchens, Russ Yeast,
Certainly not the most athletic unit in the league, but a very good mix of wily veterans and hard-charging youngsters. In case of injuries, the depth continues on through the practice squad
Cornerback (4)
Darious Williams, Tre’Davious White, Cobie Durant, Josh Wallace, Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson (Candidate for Injured Reserve List),
A little on the thin side in this unit, when you consider the two starters. One is coming back from two major injuries and the other has been hobbled all of camp with a soft tissue problem. THT walked of the field after the Texans game favoring his left upper torso and his arm in a sling.
Opening practice squad (17)
QB Dresser Winn
RB Zach Evans
RB Boston Scott
WR Drake Stoops
TE Nikola Kalinic
OL Mike McAllister
OL Connor McDermott
DL Anthony Goodlow
DL Tuli Letuligasenoa
DL David Olajiga- International Pathways exemption
E Ochaun Mathis
E Zach VanValkenburg
LB Okunle Fatukasi
S Jason Taylor
S Jaylen McCullough
CB Cam McCutcheon
CB Charles Woods
Set in stone?
Nah, expect the Rams roster to be very fluid over this next week and all the way up to the opening game. Surprise decisions, waiver claims, free agents, and of course, transactional “hocus pocus” could all come into play. Don’t count out Les Snead from putting on his green-shade visor swinging a deal. According to overthecap.com, the Rams have $12.1 mil in cap space.
One of my favorite lines was from a western called ‘Silverado’. In a climatic shoot out scene, right before the face-off, a passerby asks the nefarious sheriff what is happening and the sheriff deadpans, “Hide and watch.” Apropos for this next week.
