Projecting Rams’ depth chart following 2023 NFL draft: How many rookie starters?

There might not be a team in the NFL that has undergone more turnover this offseason than the Los Angeles Rams. As a result, their depth chart looks vastly different than it did a year ago when the Rams were trying to defend their Super Bowl title.

This roster is full of rookies, 40 to be exact. That’s almost as many veterans (44) as the Rams have on the team currently. Knowing that, there will be a lot of competition for roster spots and starting jobs in camps.

We’ve got a long way to go before the roster is settled for the regular season, but here’s how the depth chart could look at the moment.

(*) = rookie

Offense

	Starter	Backup	Third-string	Reserve
Quarterback	Matthew Stafford	Stetson Bennett*	Brett Rypien	Dresser Winn*
Running back	Cam Akers	Kyren Williams	Zach Evans*	Ronnie Rivers/Tiyon Evans*
Wide receiver	Cooper Kupp	Tutu Atwell	Xavier Smith*	Braxton Burmeister*
Wide receiver	Van Jefferson	Lance McCutcheon	Austin Trammell	Tyler Hudson*
Wide receiver	Ben Skowronek	Puka Nacua*	Sam James*
Tight end	Tyler Higbee	Brycen Hopkins	Hunter Long	Davis Allen*/Christian Sims*
Left tackle	Joe Noteboom	Alaric Jackson
Left guard	Steve Avila*	Grant Miller*
Center	Brian Allen	Coleman Shelton	Sean Maginn*	Mike McAllister*
Right guard	Logan Bruss	Tremayne Anchrum Jr.	Zach Thomas
Right tackle	Rob Havenstein	A.J. Arcuri	Warren McClendon Jr.*

As different as the Rams are expected to look in 2023, the offense has a bunch of returning starters and backups who were on the team last season. Though Allen Robinson and David Edwards are both gone, the Rams have viable replacements in Van Jefferson as WR2 and Steve Avila as the starting left guard.

Logan Bruss steps in as a projected starter, though he’ll need to beat out Coleman Shelton for that spot, along with Tremayne Anchrum Jr. and possibly Alaric Jackson or Joe Noteboom. Really, there are at least 10 different combinations the Rams can deploy up front.

Cam Akers is still projected to be the starting running back despite the addition of Zach Evans, who would begin as the third-string back behind Kyren Williams.

Stetson Bennett looks like the best backup quarterback on the roster, even with the addition of veteran Brett Rypien. It remains to be seen how many quarterbacks the Rams will carry this season, but it could only be two.

Defense

	Starter	Backup	Third-string	Reserve
Defensive tackle	Aaron Donald	Kobie Turner*	Desjuan Johnson*	Larrell Murchison
Nose tackle	Bobby Brown III
Defensive end	Marquise Copeland	Jonah Williams	Earnest Brown IV	T.J. Carter
Outside linebacker	Michael Hoecht	Daniel Hardy	Nick Hampton*	Zach VanValkenburg
Inside linebacker	Ernest Jones	Jake Hummel	Kelechi Anyalebechi*	Ryan Smenda Jr.*
Inside linebacker	Christian Rozeboom	Jaiden Woodbey	DeAndre Square*
Outside linebacker	Byron Young*	Keir Thomas	Ochaun Mathis*	Matthew Jester*
Cornerback	Cobie Durant	Robert Rochell	Tyon Davis*	Cameron McCutcheon*
Safety	Jordan Fuller	Quentin Lake	Quindell Johnson*	Tanner Ingle*
Safety	Russ Yeast	Jason Taylor II*	Rashad Torrence II*	Richard LeCounte III/Collin Duncan*
Cornerback	Derion Kendrick	Timarcus Davis*	Jordan Jones*
Nickel	Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson*	Shaun Jolly

The defense is where major changes are coming. It’s possible the Rams will have 9 or 10 new starters compared to Week 1 of last season, with Aaron Donald and Ernest Jones being the only returning starters. Otherwise, it’s all new faces across the defense.

We’re projecting two rookie starters on defense: Byron Young and Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson. Both will need to earn their spots because the Rams do have a bunch of cornerbacks and edge rushers now, but they’re lacking top-end talent at both positions.

Inside linebacker is a huge question mark behind Jones, but it’s possible an undrafted rookie will emerge from that group. The same goes for nose tackle following Greg Gaines’ departure; the Rams don’t have a true nose tackle to back up Bobby Brown III right now. Most of their defensive linemen are undersized.

At safety, Jordan Fuller is the most experienced player at the position and should take back his starting role after a tough, injury-plagued 2022 season. Russ Yeast and Quentin Lake will both be competing for starting spots, too.

Special teams

	Starter	Backup
Kicker	Christopher Dunn*	Tanner Brown*
Punter	Ethan Evans*
Kick returner	Kyren Williams
Punt returner	Tutu Atwell	Xavier Smith*
Long snapper	Alex Ward*

The special teams unit looks vastly different than it did a year ago. The Rams have three new specialists after letting Matt Gay, Matt Orzech and Riley Dixon leave. Christopher Dunn and Tanner Brown will compete for the kicking job, while Ethan Evans is the only punter and Alex Ward is the only long snapper.

The returner spot is also up for grabs following Brandon Powell’s departure. Tutu Atwell, Kyren Williams and Xavier Smith – if he makes the roster – could all contribute.