Tuesday was the deadline for all 32 teams in the NFL to trim their rosters down to 53 players ahead of Week 1. The Los Angeles Rams have officially made the moves necessary to reduce their roster to 53 players, and a few of them were a bit surprising.
When going from 90 players from the start of training camp to 53 players before Week 1 kicks off, you are bound to have a handful of moves that shock fans. Throughout practices and the preseason, certain players could either earn or lose a roster spot due to how they perform.
With the roster moves now official, here are the four most surprising players who were released by the Rams on Tuesday.
1
OL Logan Bruss
Logan Bruss was one of the final cuts the Rams made, indicating that he was a tough decision the team had to make. What makes his release shocking is the fact the Rams spent a third-round pick (their first selection) in the 2022 NFL draft on him.
Bruss suffered a torn ACL last year before taking a regular-season snap for the Rams in 2022. Many assumed he would compete for a starting spot at right guard, but Bruss was moved to tackle this offseason, where he was seemingly competing for a roster spot. The second-year offensive lineman is likely a candidate to make the practice squad if he clears waivers, though, his status as a third-round pick could earn him a chance elsewhere.
2
CB Robert Rochell
Along with Bruss, Robert Rochell was among the final players named in the team’s roster cuts on Tuesday. Rochell was a fourth-round pick of the Rams in the 2021 NFL draft and appeared in 28 games with five starts in his first two years in the league.
At the beginning of the offseason, all signs pointed toward Rochell getting an opportunity to compete for a starting job following the departure of Jalen Ramsey. But once the Rams signed veteran Ahkello Witherspoon, Rochell’s role in the secondary was drastically altered as he was no longer one of the only cornerbacks with size on the roster.
3
DL Marquise Copeland
After the losses of Greg Gaines and A’Shawn Robinson in free agency, the defensive front of the Rams looked bare throughout the offseason. Besides adding Kobie Turner and Desjuan Johnson via this year’s draft, the Rams didn’t add anyone notable up front on the defensive side of the ball.
Marquise Copeland was entering his fourth season with the Rams and he logged nine starts for the team in 2022. Copeland was seemingly beaten out by Jonah Williams, Larrell Murchison, and Johnson (who was taken with the last pick of the 2023 NFL draft) for a role along the defensive line.
4
OLB Keir Thomas
The Rams didn’t perform well as a team in the preseason, but one player that stood out was Keir Thomas. In the three preseason contests, Thomas accumulated 10 total tackles, three tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks.
Thomas is in his second year in the NFL after joining the Rams as an undrafted rookie in 2022 out of Florida State. Considering that the Rams are desperate for production off of the edge, Thomas’ release was a bit surprising. The young edge rusher could be a candidate for the practice squad and the Rams could be in the market for a veteran pass rusher following the move to cut Thomas.
