Projecting Rams’ depth chart for Week 1 vs. Seahawks

Since the start of the preseason, the Los Angeles Rams have had an unofficial depth chart available for the public to see. But with the 53-man roster now set, the depth chart could look a little bit different than it initially did.

Ahead of the Rams’ season opener against the Seattle Seahawks on Sept. 10, we’re taking a look at the team’s depth chart and projecting who the starters will be, who will work as backups and who is in a reserve role.

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Not a ton has changed since the start of training camp but a few players have risen up the depth chart into starting roles – including Ahkello Witherspoon and Byron Young. Here’s how we project the depth chart to look for the start of the regular season.

(Update as of 10:15 a.m.: Depth chart has been updated to reflect Ochaun Mathis going on IR and Duke Shelley being signed).

Offense

	Starter	Backup	Third-string	Reserve
Quarterback	Matthew Stafford	Stetson Bennett*
Running back	Cam Akers	Kyren Williams	Ronnie Rivers	Zach Evans*
Wide receiver	Cooper Kupp	Ben Skowronek
Wide receiver	Van Jefferson	Puka Nacua*
Wide receiver	Tutu Atwell	Demarcus Robinson
Tight end	Tyler Higbee	Brycen Hopkins	Hunter Long	Davis Allen
Left tackle	Alaric Jackson	Joe Noteboom
Left guard	Steve Avila*	Zach Thomas
Center	Coleman Shelton	Brian Allen
Right guard	Tremayne Anchrum Jr.	Kevin Dotson
Right tackle	Rob Havenstein	Warren McClendon Jr.*

The depth chart hasn’t changed a ton on offense since the start of the offseason. Stafford and Bennett are still 1-2 at quarterback, while Akers and Williams are still atop the pecking order at running back.

The wide receiver group could look a little bit different come Week 1 if Kupp is sidelined by his hamstring injury, but regardless, Atwell looks like he’s going to be a bigger part of the offense. The same goes for Nacua, who was held out of the last two preseason games to avoid any potential injuries. Ben Skowronek is still going to contribute but he may get fewer snaps than usual.

The offensive line was mostly undecided after the draft but it’s taken shape since. Jackson and Havenstein are locked in as the starting tackles, with Avila and Anchrum most likely being the starting guards. At center, the Rams haven’t declared a starter but reports suggest it’ll be Shelton over Allen. So when the Rams kick off their season on Sept. 10, only one lineman from last year will be starting in the same spot: Havenstein.

Defense

	Starter	Backup	Third-string
Defensive tackle	Aaron Donald	Larrell Murchison	Desjuan Johnson*
Nose tackle	Bobby Brown III	Kobie Turner*
Defensive end	Earnest Brown IV	Jonah Williams
Outside linebacker	Michael Hoecht	Nick Hampton*
Outside linebacker	Byron Young*	Zach VanValkenburg
Inside linebacker	Ernest Jones	Jake Hummel
Inside linebacker	Christian Rozeboom
Cornerback	Ahkello Witherspoon	Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson*
Cornerback	Derion Kendrick
Nickel	Cobie Durant	Shaun Jolly	Duke Shelley
Safety	Jordan Fuller	Quentin Lake	Jason Taylor II*
Safety	John Johnson III	Russ Yeast

We have an idea of what the starting defensive line will look like against the Seahawks in Week 1 but it’s not clear-cut. Donald will be one starter and it’s likely Bobby Brown and either Earnest Brown or Williams will be lined up alongside him. Regardless, the rotation is going feature at least four or five players – including Turner and potentially Murchison.

The outside linebacker group will feature a similar rotation behind Hoecht and Young. This position is pretty open because of the lack of experience across the board, so it won’t be a surprise to see any of the five – except Mathis, who’s on injured reserve – get the most snaps initially. It should be Hoecht and Young leading the way, though.

At inside linebacker, nothing has changed. Jones and Rozeboom are the top two, with Hummel mostly contributing on special teams.

With the cornerbacks, it’ll definitely be Durant and Witherspoon on the field most of the time, and Kendrick is likely to be the other starter on the outside. But Hodges-Tomlinson has a good chance to contribute early on after the preseason he had. Jolly and Shelley should be the backups in the slot.

Interestingly, the Rams list Yeast as the starter over Johnson on their unofficial depth chart but it’s hard to imagine Johnson not starting in Week 1. Yeast and Lake are certainly going to get their share of snaps, too.

Special teams

	Starter	Backup
Kicker	None
Punter	Ethan Evans*
Kick returner	Kyren Williams	Ronnie Rivers
Punt returner	Puka Nacua*	Kyren Williams
Long snapper	Alex Ward*

The Rams still don’t have a kicker on their 53-man roster, though Brett Maher is going to be the guy in Week 1. He’s just on the practice squad right now so we can’t technically pencil him in on the depth chart.

Evans and Ward will be the other two specialists, and based on the Rams’ depth chart, Williams will return kickoffs and Nacua will work as the punt returner.