The motto for the Rams last offseason was “run it back” after they won the Super Bowl. They tried to repeat as champions by bringing back most of their core and maintaining a similar roster, but that plan failed miserably after the injury bug bit every position on the team.
As bad as they were in 2022, the Rams returned more players than any team in the NFL – and that was after a Super Bowl win. According to Pro Football Focus, the Rams’ return rate of 86.8% from 2021 to 2022 was the highest in the league by a wide margin; the Cardinals, Lions and Commanders were tied for second at 81.1%.
In fact, the Rams’ return rate of 74.2% from 2020-2022 is tied for the highest in the NFL with the Cardinals and Bills. It’s a big reason for their success in recent years, prioritizing continuity and familiarity.
This year is going to be different. Very different.
We don’t yet know the Rams’ return rate for 2023 because the 53-man roster isn’t set, but it’s almost certain that Los Angeles will be among the teams with the most roster turnover this season.
So far, they’ve already parted with 18 players from last year’s roster, either via free agency, roster cuts or trades. Jalen Ramsey, Bobby Wagner and Allen Robinson are three players who have landed elsewhere, and Leonard Floyd is still looking for his next team, as is Troy Hill.
That’s 18 players for certain who won’t be back with the Rams in 2023, with another eight who are still pending free agents after being on the 53-man roster last year. Many of those will be replaced by rookies, of which the Rams have nearly 40 at the moment.
Even if all 14 drafted rookies make the team that will account for more than a quarter of the 53-man roster. There will also be a new kicker and long snapper, plus tight end Hunter Long, who’s likely to make the team after being acquired in the Ramsey trade. That’s 17 new players right there.
The Rams didn’t make any free-agent acquisitions, which will limit their roster turnover some, but even without signing a single outside free agent, they’re bound to finish 2023 on the opposite end of the roster-return spectrum.
