With the 2024 NFL draft in the books, we’re projecting what the Rams’ depth chart might look like
Over the course of the next few weeks and months, the Los Angeles Rams will begin onboarding their rookies and getting them ready for Year 1 in the NFL. They added 10 total players in the draft and while some of them have a chance to start, there’s no guarantee any of them will be atop the depth chart come Week 1.
With an already talented roster, the Rams’ veterans will try to hold off the young guns in training camp. That could be difficult at certain positions, though, as Jared Verse, Braden Fiske and Kamren Kinchens all look like early contributors on defense.
Excluding undrafted rookies, below is a projection of what the Rams’ depth chart could look like. There are three rookie starters, all on defense, and four backups on offense who could see time in the event of an injury – or in Blake Corum’s case, when spelling Kyren Williams.
A lot will change between now and September, but here’s how we see the depth chart as of this moment. (Note: rookies are italicized)
On the Rams’ unofficial depth chart for Week 1, John Johnson is still a backup, Tutu Atwell is starting and the O-line is still TBD.
In just a few days, the Los Angeles Rams will take on the Seattle Seahawks in the season opener, hopefully starting the year with a win on the road. On paper, the Rams look like the weaker team, which is evident when glancing at their first unofficial depth chart of the regular season.
The Rams released it this week and quite frankly, it’s not much different than what we saw at the start of the preseason – except for the fact that the recently cut players are now absent.
For the most part, the starting lineup remains the same. The Rams list three rookie starters or co-starters, while third-year player Tutu Atwell is also one of the top three receivers. The offensive line remains unclear in this latest depth chart, with two positions listing co-starters: left tackle and center.
See the full depth chart below, broken down by offense, defense and special teams.
With the first half of training camp in the books, here’s a projection of what the Rams’ depth chart might look like
The Los Angeles Rams haven’t yet released an unofficial depth chart, though it’s possible they will before their first preseason game next week. Until then, we can only project how the depth chart looks, from the starters to reserve players.
With one half of training camp in the books, here’s how we see the depth chart on offense and defense, going position by position and predicting where everyone stands so far.
Looking at the Rams’ projected depth chart, how many rookies look like potential starters?
There might not be a team in the NFL that has undergone more turnover this offseason than the Los Angeles Rams. As a result, their depth chart looks vastly different than it did a year ago when the Rams were trying to defend their Super Bowl title.
This roster is full of rookies, 40 to be exact. That’s almost as many veterans (44) as the Rams have on the team currently. Knowing that, there will be a lot of competition for roster spots and starting jobs in camps.
We’ve got a long way to go before the roster is settled for the regular season, but here’s how the depth chart could look at the moment.
The Rams added eight rookies in the draft this weekend. Where do they currently project on the depth chart?
There’s a long way to go before the 2022 season begins, with OTAs, minicamps and training camp still needing to take place. That’s when the Los Angeles Rams’ depth chart will become clearer as players beat out their competition for starting and backup jobs.
Even though it’s a bit early to be projecting the Rams’ depth chart, it’s a fun exercise to show where Los Angeles got better and which positions still need help coming out of the draft.
Here’s an updated look at the depth chart following the 2022 draft. It excludes the reported undrafted free-agent signings because they aren’t yet official, and none of them will be listed higher than “reserve” right now.
Les Snead hinted at Malcolm Brown being a short-yardage and goal-line back for the Rams.
The Los Angeles Rams are in the process of transitioning from having an All-Pro workhorse handle the bulk of their carries to utilizing more of a committee approach. That, of course, comes after the team cut Todd Gurley in March and drafted Cam Akers out of Florida State a month later.
Akers joins Malcolm Brown and Darrell Henderson in the Rams backfield, though their exact roles are still to be determined. Will Akers be the No. 1 back? Will Henderson merely be a change-of-pace player? Will Brown only get one or two carries a game?
All of that will be decided as the season goes on, and we won’t know much until players get back on the field for either minicamp or training camp – whichever comes first. But on “Around the NFL,” Rams GM Les Snead shed some light on the backfield plan and hinted at Brown being a short-yardage or goal-line back.
“The playtime and what their role is will definitely evolve as we get back to training camp, begin practicing, get back on the field and start playing football,” he began. “The interesting thing, the tidbit early over the course of Malcolm Brown’s career, he has – and this is not for fantasy football and it’s probably not for highlights – but if you’re a fan of the Rams and you’ve watched 65 plays of offense down in and down out during a game, those people who tuned in for him know that he has moved the chains and scored some important touchdowns when defenses get tight and try to stop it. Whether it’s a third-and-1 or 2, or if it’s a second-and-goal from the 1 or 2, or third-and-goal. So touchdowns mean something in fantasy, so maybe that’s a good tidbit.”
It’s interesting that Brown was the first running back Snead mentioned, especially with Akers and Henderson receiving the bulk of the attention up to this point. He did discuss those other two, though, and likes what the Rams have in both.
Here’s what he said about Henderson after praising Brown’s work in short-yardage situations.
“Darrell Henderson showed at Memphis and we do think what he showed at Memphis definitely has a chance to translate to our league and that’s the ability to hit home runs and I know that means something in fantasy,” Snead said.
And then as for Akers, Snead once again mentioned the rookie’s ability to overcome poor blocking up front and a weak supporting cast at Florida State. It was one of the thing the Rams loved about his game and made them confident that he could succeed against NFL defenses where running lanes are tougher to come by.
“I know Cam has proven in the ACC playing for a team basically that hasn’t been as manned with the type of players Florida State is used to in the past and he was able to overcome that and be their go-to guy so that’s going to be fun to watch to see how that evolves,” Snead said.
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So reading the tea leaves, we can almost determine that the Rams’ backfield will look something like this – depending on how each guy is playing and who they’re playing in a given week. Akers will likely handle the early-down carries, while Henderson will be a Kamara-type (which Snead mentioned last year) and Brown will be a short-yardage and goal-line specialist.
Snead didn’t explicitly say any of those things, but he mentioned short-yardage conversions for Brown, home runs for Henderson and Akers being a “go-to guy” at FSU.
“Time will tell. Time always tells,” Snead said. “We have three running backs, we have three that we really like and that is an honest answer to see how when you start with three important players that you want to give playtime to, how it evolves into how many carries or touches or snaps in a game they get is to be determined based on how we’re scheming against a certain opponent, how one of the players is playing or has gotten hot or not hot or is banged up or not. So those things will come to fruition during the 2020 season.”
However this all works out, Snead and the Rams have one goal: get the running game going again. After a down year in 2019 by just about every measure compared to the year before, the Rams want to get their running game back on track with this new game plan in the backfield.
“That’s a long-winded answer but our goal is to get that running game and our offense back to our 2017 and 2018 standards and we think those three players can help us do that,” he said.
Here’s what the Rams’ depth chart could look like in 2020.
The Los Angeles Rams came away with some impact players in the 2020 NFL Draft this weekend, fortifying the offense early on before adding some versatile defenders on the other side of the ball. The team still has a long way to go before the season begins, whenever that is, and the roster is beginning to get filled out.
With the new rookies now in the mix, we’ve put together a new projection for how the depth chart could look for the Rams. It includes the latest additions to the roster, except for the undrafted rookies, who have little chance of making the roster.
Here’s how the offense and defense look right now on paper.
