While not quite the snooze-fest it could have been, the Los Angeles Rams hung tough with the Cleveland Browns before getting beat 19-17 on a last second field goal. L.A. opened with a lineup that 90 percent of will likely be released by next Tuesday, the final cutdown deadline.
L.A. Head coach Sean McVay sat out 51 players in all, with only three out because of injury. If he stays true to form with roster builds of his past, and players who don’t see action are considered locked on the opening 53, Rams fans should expect the following projection. To be clear, it’s not official by any means, but is certainly in keeping with his history.
Quarterback (3) – Matthew Stafford, Jimmy Garappolo, Stetson Bennett
Running back (3) – Kyren Williams, Blake Corum, Jarquez Hunter
Wide receiver (6)- Puka Nacua, Davante Adams, Tutu Atwell, Jordan Whittington, Xavier Smith, Konata Mumpfield
Tight end (4)- Tyler Higbee, Terrance Ferguson, Colby Parkinson, Davis Allen
Offensive line (10)- Alaric Jackson, Steve Avila, Coleman Shelton, Kevin Dotson, Rob Havenstein, DJ Humphries, David Quessenberry, Beaux Limmer, Warren McClendon, Justin Dedich,
Special teams (3)- Josh Karty, Ethan Evans, Alex Ward
Cornerback (5)- Darious Williams, Cobie Durant, Ahkello Witherspoon, Emmanuel Forbes, AJ Green
Safety (5)- Quentin Lake, Kamren Curl, Kamren Kinchens, Jaylen McCollough, Josh Wallace
Off-ball linebacker (4)- Nate Landman, Omar Speights, Troy Reeder, Sean Dolac
Edge (4)- Jared Verse, Byron Young, Josaiah Stewart, Nick Hampton
Defensive line (6)- Kobie Turner, Poona Ford, Braden Fiske, Tyler Davis, Ty Hamilton, Larrell Murchison
There are some roster wild cards
Even though they saw plenty of action against the Browns, tight end Terrance Ferguson and running back Jarquez Hunter are locks and included in the 53. Both will see plenty of work when the season gets going.
Alaric Jackson is still an offensive line question mark for the early part of the season. It’s fair to expect an injury designation, but will it open a spot for one of the bubble players? Center Dylan McMahon has not played in the preseason and there have been no injury reports. If sitting out is akin to making the opening roster, it appears he’s the one to bet on.
Center/guard Willie Lampkin will likely get an injury designation, whether that is an exemption or they try to sneak him through waivers is yet to be decided. And finally, Ronnie Rivers likely gets released outright.
Conclusions
Again, this is not the official roster, just a projection based on what McVay and the rest of the Rams braintrust have done in the past. This projection would highlight linebacker Chris Paul, edge Brennan Jackson, and defensive end Desjuan Johnson as the most surprising cuts. Paul was injured early in camp and fell behind, but I think most fans would rather see him kept over Reeder. Jackson had a few sacks in preseason, but they were of the hustle/cleanup variety, he is still having trouble setting the edge consistently. I love the move of Johnson to edge, instead of being considered a “smallish” interior player, he adds size to the outside. I think he got the move skills to prosper with a little coaching up.
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