The Rams have another month until they have to trim their roster down to just 53 players for the start of the regular season, which is one of the biggest days of the offseason. Until then, they still have three preseason games to play and four more weeks of practice to go through, which will help the coaching staff determine who deserves a roster spot and who will be cut.
With the first week of practice wrapped up, we’re giving our latest projection of what the 53-man roster could look like come September. The preseason will help sort this out even more, giving us a clearer picture of where guys stand in the eyes of the coaches.
For now, here’s who we see making the team next month.
Quarterback (2)
- Matthew Stafford
- Stetson Bennett*
Bennett is seemingly doing enough to hold off Brett Rypien as Stafford’s backup, which should give the Rams enough confidence to only keep two quarterbacks on the 53-man roster. That will allow them to keep another player at a position that requires more depth, such as wide receiver or safety. As long as Bennett doesn’t look lost in the preseason and rest of training camp, he’ll be the Rams’ QB2.
Running back (4)
- Cam Akers
- Kyren Williams
- Zach Evans*
- Ronnie Rivers
There’s been some shuffling at running back in the last week. Sony Michel unexpectedly decided to retire from football, which left a void on the depth chart after he was signed this summer. The Rams replaced him with Royce Freeman, who they added the day after Michel’s decision. Sean McVay said they still could add a sixth running back, but for now, they have five. And while the team likes Freeman, Rivers offers more upside at the position so he gets the nod here.
Wide receiver (7)
- Cooper Kupp
- Van Jefferson
- Ben Skowronek
- Tutu Atwell
- Puka Nacua*
- Demarcus Robinson
- Tyler Johnson
Lance McCutcheon hasn’t made much noise in training camp but two of his top competitors, Robinson and Johnson, have done a nice job thus far. Robinson, in particular, should be a lock for the 53-man roster after what he’s shown in the first week of camp, potentially emerging as the Rams’ top choice to be the No. 3 receiver. The other five receivers should all be locks, with the final spot(s) coming down to Johnson, McCutcheon and maybe an undrafted rookie such as Xavier Smith.
Tight end (4)
- Tyler Higbee
- Brycen Hopkins
- Hunter Long
- Davis Allen*
Long remains on the PUP list and Allen is sidelined with a hamstring injury, so the Rams are thin at tight end right now. Even with those two injuries, it’s hard to see Christian Sims jumping anyone else on the depth chart, so we’re sticking with the same four tight ends that we’ve had on the 53-man roster all offseason.
Offensive tackle (4)
- Rob Havenstein
- Joe Noteboom
- Alaric Jackson
- Warren McClendon Jr.*
Havenstein, Noteboom and Jackson are all going to make the team, and it’s hard to imagine the Rams cutting McClendon as a fifth-round rookie at a position that could use some depth. But if A.J. Arcuri stands out this summer, he could be the fifth offensive tackle to make the team – or potentially the fourth if the Rams cut McClendon. Until we get more clarity at this position, we’re going to stick with McClendon as the fourth tackle.
Center/Guard (5)
- Brian Allen
- Logan Bruss
- Steve Avila*
- Coleman Shelton
- Tremayne Anchrum Jr.
This projection leaves Grant Miller, Mike McAllister and Zach Thomas on the outside, none of whom are expected to be terribly difficult cuts. So in this projection, the Rams keep their top five interior linemen. Their starting center and guards have yet to be determined, but we know either Allen or Shelton will be at center, and Avila is likely to be one of the guards. There’s still plenty to sort out with this position group but there are reasons to be encouraged after a disastrous 2022 season.
Defensive line (6)
- Aaron Donald
- Bobby Brown III
- Marquise Copeland
- Earnest Brown IV
- Kobie Turner*
- Jonah Williams
The defensive line is an interesting and difficult position to predict. It’s such an unproven group that it’s hard to gauge who will start, who will be the backups and who will miss the cut. Larrell Murchison and Desjuan Johnson were the two toughest cuts in this projection, and that’s as a result of keeping Brown and Williams instead. The Rams may not see things the way we do along the defensive line, so it’s possible they like Johnson and Murchison more. The preseason will give us a much better indication of where everyone stands in this group.
Outside linebacker (5)
- Michael Hoecht
- Byron Young*
- Daniel Hardy
- Nick Hampton*
- Keir Thomas
Sixth-round rookie Ochaun Mathis gets dropped from this latest projection, in part because of the fact that he’s out a few weeks with a knee injury. If he misses the first and/or second preseason game, it’ll really hurt his chances to make the team. And given McVay’s comments about how young and unproven the rookie edge rushers are, he may already be behind the eight ball. Regardless of who the Rams keep, it’s hard to get overly excited about this collection of edge rushers.
Inside linebacker (3)
- Ernest Jones
- Christian Rozeboom
- Jake Hummel
There hasn’t been a lot of noise coming out of the inside linebacker group. Jones and Rozeboom seem entrenched as the top two linebackers on the depth chart, with Hummel sticking around as the third guy. The Rams have a group of undrafted rookies looking to make a name for themselves, but none of them have emerged as strong candidates to make the team just yet. Again, the preseason will help sort this position out and potentially help out one of the undrafted rookies.
Cornerback (5)
- Cobie Durant
- Derion Kendrick
- Ahkello Witherspoon
- Robert Rochell
- Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson*
Witherspoon isn’t in much danger of being cut after the start to training camp that he’s had. He looks like he’ll be one of the starting cornerbacks on the outside, likely over Rochell. Durant is projected to be the starter on the inside, which leaves one spot open on the boundary; that’s likely to go to Kendrick, though he has a hamstring injury right now so he’ll be sidelined for a little bit. Shaun Jolly is another cornerback to watch this summer, along with Vincent Gray.
Safety (5)
- Jordan Fuller
- Russ Yeast
- Quentin Lake
- Jason Taylor II*
- Tanner Ingle*
We previously had Quindell Johnson making the team, but we’ve swapped him out for Tanner Ingle, who seems to be having a greater impact on defense in camp so far. Rashad Torrence II has stood out a couple of times, too, so he’s another safety to keep an eye on in the preseason. This group could look very different by the end of training camp and the preseason.
Special teams (3)
- K Tanner Brown*
- P Ethan Evans*
- LS Alex Ward*
With no other kickers, punters or long snappers on the roster, there’s no other way to project the special teams group. So, we’ll stick with the only three choices we have – who sound like they’re doing a fine job in practice.
