Yesterday at 1 pm PST the Los Angeles Rams had to cut their roster from 90 players down to just 53. Plenty of hard decisions needed to be made, but as of now this is the Rams roster. Of course, within those hard choices, sacrifices had to be made to bolster some groups, leaving others out there to fend for themselves.
Los Angeles Rams Best Depth
Wide Receiver (6): Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua, Demarcus Robinson, Tutu Atwell, Tyler Johnson, Jordan Whittington (R)
Going back 12 months, the wide receiver was a major worry heading into the season. Kupp was injured and no one knew who Puka Nacua was about to become. The Week 1 starters were Nacua, Van Jefferson, and Tutu Atwell.
Now we know Nacua, Kupp is healthy, and Demarcus Robinson emerged late last season as a perfect complement to them. Jordan Whittington proved to be a great fit for the offense this off-season as a receiver and a blocker. Tyler Johnson should also prove to be a useful player this year.
Tutu Atwell is still looking for a role for his burner speed, but speed isn’t something you can replace with another skill set.
Offensive Line (10): Alaric Jackson, Joe Noteboom, Jonah Jackson, Steve Avila, Kevin Dotson, Rob Havenstein, Warren McClendon Jr., Logan Bruss, Beaux Limmer (R), Conor McDermott
This is another group that was suspect last season but appears to be a strength from top to bottom. Much of the credit for that must go to second-year offensive line coach Ryan Wendell. The rapid development of the backups is a testament to his methods and practices.
It is likely that the Rams will start the season without their tackles. Alaric Jackson is suspended for two games and Rob Havenstein is injured. But as mentioned above, the depth has played excellent this offseason. No team did a better job protecting the quarterback than the Rams. They allowed just 17 total pressures. Most teams allowed double that.
Los Angeles Rams Worst Depth
Quarterback (3): Matthew Stafford, Jimmy Garopplo, Stetson Bennett
Matthew Stafford alone ranks in the top five. But this is about depth. And Jimmy Garoppolo and Stetson Bennett aren’t it.
Garoppolo has been suspended for two games and struggled to push the ball down the field during training camp. Stetson Bennett looked like everything from great to terrible. This is the point, he is very inconsistent.
It is a good thing the offensive line looks so good. The Rams are going to need a healthy Stafford for 17 games this season.
Interior Defensive Line (6): Bobby Brown III, Kobie Turner, Braden Fiske (R), Desjuan Johnson, Tyler Davis(R), Cory Durden
There are question marks across the board at this position, including the starters. And that is particularly bad for the defensive line. Modern defenses, including the Rams, rotate their defensive linemen based on game situations. Even Aaron Donald subbed out a quarter of the time.
Bobby Brown has only played more than 40 percent of snaps in a game seven times out of a possible 51 games. Is he prepared to double his career-high 2023 snaps load of 27.6 percent?
And he is the Ram’s most experienced defensive lineman. Will Kobie Turner be as successful without Aaron Donald?
As for the rest, there is an upside with Braden Fiske as a starter and Tyler Davis as a rotational piece, but they are rookies and all the rookie variance will accompany them.
The entirety of the defensive line has played a total of 1342 snaps in their careers. Brown and Turner provided almost 1200 of those snaps. Some players nearly play that many snaps in one season.
