Tag: rams roster

Rams should monitor Mike Williams’ situation with Jets

The Jets could trade Mike Williams after acquiring Davante Adams, but the Rams should wait to see if he’s cut

After Aaron Rodgers’ public criticisms of Mike Williams damaged the Jets’ relationship with the wide receiver, they broke it beyond repair when they traded for Davonte Adams this week.

Williams, whose time with the Jets already seems to be coming to an end, has garnered some interest from a few teams around the league. While the Rams could trade for him, they should instead remain patient and see how things work out.

Williams is only on a one-year deal and would most likely be a rental and not a candidate to be re-signed long-term. However, if these suitors for Williams fall through, the Jets could simply release him. If that happens, the Rams should swoop in and give him a shot.

If signed, Williams would give the Rams a new dynamic in the receiver room. He can catch the jump ball and has been one of the best jump-ball receivers in football. He’s hard to defend on the slant because of his size and he’s a nightmare for defenses in the red zone.

Williams may be interested in Los Angeles as he previously spent seven years with the Chargers. Perhaps the Jets’ trash could be the Rams’ treasure and provide a boost to Los Angeles’ red zone woes.

Rams cut 2 players, opening up spots on active roster and practice squad

The Rams waived Tanner Brown and Cam Lampkin, opening up spots on the active roster and practice squad

The Los Angeles Rams will have some players potentially coming off IR in the next few weeks so they may need to clear some space on their roster ahead of time. On Tuesday, the Rams waived two players, one from the active roster and one from the practice squad.

The team cut cornerback Cam Lampkin from the 53-man roster, a sign that Darious Williams could be activated as soon as this week. Sean McVay said the team expects to open his practice window now that he’s eligible to return and with Lampkin gone, Williams could be activated.

The Rams also waived kicker Tanner Brown from the practice squad. They simply don’t need a backup kicker now that Joshua Karty is fully healthy and recovered from his groin injury.

Along with Williams, Larrell Murchison is also eligible to return from IR this week so he’s a player to keep an eye on ahead of Sunday’s game against the Packers.

Rams sign former Lions WR Quintez Cephus to practice squad

With Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp out, the Rams are bringing in a wide receiver who’s played with Matthew Stafford before

Even though the Los Angeles Rams opted not to put Cooper Kupp on injured reserve, they still need help at wide receiver. Kupp is going to miss multiple games and depth is getting thin with Puka Nacua also sidelined.

On Wednesday, the Rams signed wide receiver Quintez Cephus to the practice squad. Cephus was a fifth-round pick by the Lions in 2020 so he played with Matthew Stafford in Detroit.

He’s been limited to only 22 games in the last four seasons and has just 37 career catches for 568 yards, but the Rams will take any help they can get.

Cephus played at Wisconsin and comes in at 6-foot-1 and 208 pounds. The 26-year-old receiver isn’t a burner (4.73 speed) but he’s a physical player with the ball in his hands, which is a trait the Rams like in a receiver.

Previewing Rams’ WR room for 2024 season

The Rams’ pass catching corps brings a lot of energy to the 2024 season. Here’s a look at each weapon at Matthew Stafford’s disposal.

The Rams’ wide receiving corps brings both a veteran mindset and a youthful presence to the 2024 season. Led by All-Pros Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, the dynamic duo features some of the best route runners in the NFL. They are joined by speedsters Demarcus Robinson and Tutu Atwell, rounding out the attack with Super Bowl champion Tyler Johnson and rookie Jordan Whittington.

Cooper Kupp doesn’t need an introduction. The 2021 NFL Offensive Player of the Year has been one of the NFL’s best for a long time. For Kupp, he enters 2024 with a healthy body and a healthy bank account. After missing time over the last two seasons, Kupp enters this year as healthy as he’s ever been and despite his high price tag, his production has paid the Rams back ten fold.

Puka Nacua did suffer a slight knee injury this summer but he was cleared for full contact on September 3rd to the relief of Rams fans. The second-year man out of BYU had a record-setting rookie campaign, rewriting the rookie record books for receptions and receiving yards. As the team’s WR1 or WR1A, Nacua is expected to be even more involved within the offense.

Demarcus Robinson emerged late in the season last year as the Rams WR3, putting in a six-catch, 92-yard performance against the Giants to send the team to the playoffs. While Robinson may get the start to begin the season, he will face heavy competition for reps. However it’s not about how you start, it’s about how you finish and Robinson is a finisher. Expect him to have another strong end to the 2024 campaign.

Tutu Atwell was a cut candidate entering the last week of preseason and quite frankly, it’s unclear where he fits into the Rams’ lineup. He had a strong start to the 2023 season with a six-reception, 119-yard performance in the season opener against Seattle but ended the year with only three receptions in the Rams’ last five games. Atwell has yet to play a full season and he’s no longer a returner for the Rams. Concerning considering this is the last year of his rookie deal.

Tyler Johnson is a massive question mark. Buried on the Tampa Bay depth chart during the beginning of his career, Johnson never really took off and now he’s entering Year 5 in the NFL with only two receptions in his last three seasons. Johnson did enough in the preseason and if you look at some of his film, he has shown flashes of potential with good QB play. Perhaps another late bloomer?

Jordan Whittington may be a rookie but he has the experience of an elder statesman. A five-year collegiate career saw Whittington help revive what was a below-average Texas football program into being a Big 12 champion during his last season. Whittington shined in the preseason, using his sure hands and massive frame to make tough catches. I’m predicting a rookie of the year campaign from the former Longhorn.

The Rams’ WR room is stacked but managing the rotation of such versatile weapons will be interesting to see. Either way, this coming election, I’m voting Kupp/Nacua 2024.

Rams among NFL’s youngest teams for 2nd straight year

For the second year in a row, the Rams have one of the three youngest rosters in the NFL

The Los Angeles Rams’ roster has undergone a complete makeover in the last two offseasons. This was a team that fielded superstars such as Jalen Ramsey, Aaron Donald and even Bobby Wagner in 2022, but all three are now gone, as are the likes of Cam Akers, Van Jefferson and Jordan Fuller.

With an injection of talent through the draft, the Rams have become one of the top young teams in the league. And from purely an age perspective, they’re among the youngest groups in football.

According to Spotrac, the Rams are the third-youngest team in the NFL based on the average age of players on their 53-man roster (25.7). The Rams were the second-youngest team in the league at this time last year, with the Packers once again being the youngest.

It helps when there are only four players over the age of 29 on the 53-man roster, with Matthew Stafford being the oldest at 36. Rob Havenstein is 32, and both Darious Williams and Cooper Kupp are 31. Everyone else on the active roster is 29 or younger.

What’s also driving the average age of the Rams’ roster down is the fact that they have 15 rookies on the 53-man squad, nine of whom were drafted, five signed as undrafted rookies and one claimed off waivers (Cody Schrader). That was after all 14 drafted rookies made the team last year.

This is a team built to win now, but also in the coming years.

Rams may shake up O-line, move Jonah Jackson to center and Steve Avila to guard

The Rams may make a last-minute change to their offensive line by moving Jonah Jackson to center and Steve Avila back to guard

The Rams continue to tinker with the depth chart as we inch closer to opening weekend.

Sean McVay said Thursday that he’s leaning towards starting free-agent acquisition Jonah Jackson at center and moving Steve Avila back left guard.

“I think so. He’s done a great job,” McVay said of Jackson. “He’s got that personality and the beauty of it is you’ve got really two guys that can play center or guard with Steve [Avila] or Jonah. Jonah hasn’t been out here so we’ve really wanted to make sure that if that was a route we went that we ended up giving him all the reps, especially because of the noise in the atmosphere. He’s done great.”

All offseason, Rams fans and media have been expecting Avila to be the center for the team after the Jackson signing. Avila started at left guard last season, but he also played center in college, so it made sense for him to be the center with Jackson being the left guard.

Avila had been getting reps at center all offseason, however it seems as though McVay has seen something that requires a change. With the season fast approaching, the Rams will need to square away their offensive line if they want to beat what’s expected to be a strong Detroit Lions team in Week 1.

Rams lead NFL with 15 rookies on 53-man roster

The Rams have an NFL-high 17 total rookies on the team, 15 of which are on the 53-man roster

If you watched the Los Angeles Rams last season, you would know the team was very young with a bevy of unproven talent scattered all over the field. Last season, the Rams had rookie starters on both sides of the football and, to the surprise of many, those rookies blossomed. Fast-forward to this season and it appears the Rams are looking to replicate the success they’ve had via the draft and undrafted free agency.

This season, the Rams will feature a whopping 15 rookies on the active roster, with two additional rookies on IR (KT Leveston and Anthony Goodlow). For reference, the team with the second-most rookies on the roster is the Las Vegas Raiders, as they’ll have 10 rookies on the active roster and five on IR.

The Commanders are third with 14 total rookies on the roster.

Sean McVay and Les Snead have proven time and time again that they’re among the best in the NFL when it comes to identifying talent. Rookies from last year such as Puka Nacua, Kobie Turner, Steve Avila, and Byron Young proved experience may not be as important as some may have initially believed.

This season will feature much of the same, as rookies Jared Verse, Braden Fiske, Blake Corum, and Omar Speights will be expected to have an impact immediately. Even Jordan Whittington, a sixth-round pick, could see action in what’s become one of the deepest receiving rooms in the NFL. Kicker Joshua Karty was also a sixth-round pick.

The Rams have become trendsetters in the league, from never playing key players in the preseason to completely disregarding the importance of a first-round pick. It seems as though the Rams have found a new formula they’re going to roll out for a second trial when it comes to utilizing rookie talent, and it may not be long before the rest of the NFL tries to replicate this formula.

Kyren Williams excited to ‘make more plays’ as Rams punt returner

Kyren Williams was surprisingly announced as the Rams’ punt returner and he’s embracing the opportunity to make plays on special teams

Perhaps the most surprising news to come out of cutdown day for the Los Angeles Rams was Sean McVay’s announcement that Kyren Williams will be the team’s punt returner. Williams returned punts early in the 2023 season and has experience as a kick returner, but now that he’s viewed as the bell cow, it was an unexpected decision from the Rams’ coaching staff.

Fantasy managers are naturally panicking about what this means for Williams’ status as the starting running back and the possibility that Blake Corum will overtake him on the depth chart at some point this year. McVay is painting it as a way to get one of the team’s best players more involved, but it’s also risky because of the chance of injury.

Williams spoke about the decision for the first time Thursday and he’s unsurprisingly embracing it. Being the ultimate competitor and team player that he is, Williams is excited about the chance to make plays in another area of the game.

“Being who I am. Like you just said, I get to make more plays so I feel like I’m going to be able to show everybody else what more I can do in this game of football,” Williams said. “Being able to play in a lot of green grass and have a lot of space and get good blocks from my jammers up front to get those punts started. I’m excited to be able to show another phase of football that I can play.”

Williams has some experience as a return specialist, both in college and the NFL. He also played baseball as a kid so he’s comfortable tracking the ball and fielding it.

“I’ve been catching punts,” he said. “I feel like that’s something I do naturally. I played baseball as a young kid so tracking the ball in the flight, that’s not really difficult to me or catching the ball or anything like that.

“I did a little bit of it last year, as well so I have some experience in the NFL doing it so I’m excited to be able to make more plays.”

The Rams tried several players on kickoff and punt returns this offseason, including Blake Corum, Tutu Atwell and Ronnie Rivers. Williams is seemingly the player McVay is most comfortable with back there, so he’ll at least get the first crack at it this season.

It didn’t come as a surprise to the star running back, either. McVay told him at the start of camp that he needs to practice returning punts because if no one else secured the job, he wanted Williams to be the guy back there.

“I think it was the coach’s decision mostly because I remember at the beginning of camp, Coach McVay came up to me and said, ‘Make sure you’re catching punts. If it comes down to it, I want you being the guy,’” Williams said. “So that’s what he told me from the beginning of camp. So I knew in a way there could be a chance of this and when the 53 came out and Coach made the decision that I was going to be the starter, it wasn’t a surprise to me.”

We’ll see how this decision works out for not only the Rams as a team, but for Williams’ workload in the backfield. It’s undoubtedly surprising and unorthodox to have your bell cow running back returning punts, but McVay is confident in Williams’ playmaking ability.

Projecting Rams’ depth chart after initial wave of roster moves

Now that the Rams have set their initial 53-man roster, here’s a projection of what the depth chart might look like

With Week 1 right around the corner, the Los Angeles Rams have their initial 53-man roster and practice squad set. They’ll still do some tinkering in the next week, as they have already, but the depth chart is certainly taking shape as the regular season approaches.

The Rams haven’t yet released an unofficial depth chart and probably won’t until next week, but it’s not hard to project how it looks at the moment. The starting lineup is just about set and the coaching staff knows who the primary backups will be, likely having an idea of which 48 players will be active on game day.

Here is our best projection of the depth chart on offense, defense and special teams as of now. (Note: rookies are in italics)

Offense

1st 2nd 3rd 4th
QB Matthew Stafford Stetson Bennett
RB Kyren Williams Blake Corum Ronnie Rivers Cody Schrader
WR1 Cooper Kupp Tutu Atwell
WR2 Puka Nacua Jordan Whittington
WR3 Demarcus Robinson Tyler Johnson
TE Colby Parkinson Davis Allen Hunter Long
LT Joe Noteboom Warren McClendon Jr.
LG Jonah Jackson Logan Bruss
C Steve Avila Beaux Limmer
RG Kevin Dotson Logan Bruss
RT Rob Havenstein Warren McClendon Jr.

No surprises on offense. Two players, Jimmy Garoppolo and Alaric Jackson, are missing from the depth chart because they’re serving two-game suspensions, so they’re not technically on the active roster and can’t practice until Week 3. Garoppolo will take Bennett’s place as the backup QB and Jackson is expected to be the starting left tackle when he returns.

Williams is the starting running back despite Corum’s strong summer, and the top three receivers appear set. That could change if Whittington gets opportunities early and plays well.

Along the offensive line, Havenstein’s status for Week 1 is in question so if he misses the game, McClendon is expected to fill in at right tackle.

Defense

1st 2nd 3rd
DE Braden Fiske Desjuan Johnson
NT Bobby Brown III Tyler Davis
DT Kobie Turner Neville Gallimore
OLB Jared Verse Michael Hoecht Brennan Jackson
ILB Christian Rozeboom Jake Hummel Elias Neal
ILB Troy Reeder Omar Speights
OLB Byron Young Nick Hampton
CB Darious Williams Cobie Durant Charles Woods
S John Johnson III Kamren Kinchens
S Kamren Curl Jaylen McCollough
NB Quentin Lake Cobie Durant Russ Yeast
CB Tre’Davious White Josh Wallace

There shouldn’t be any question about the starting defensive line, with Fiske, Turned and Brown leading the way. They all sat out the preseason and are on track to be big parts of the defense – quite literally.

At edge rusher, the top three of Young, Verse and Hoecht are likely to rotate snaps depending on the situation, but Young and Verse should get the majority of the playing time.

Inside linebacker is where there are some serious questions and concerns. We don’t yet know who will replace Ernest Jones as the middle linebacker on all three downs, but Rozeboom seems like the most natural fit. Speights is the wild card because he had a great summer and has already been declared someone who will be active on game days.

In the secondary, Williams and White are the projected starters at outside cornerback, with Lake manning the slot as the “star” defender. Durant could also mix in at that spot when the Rams don’t need as much size, but he’s also capable of playing outside.

The safety group is extremely deep and while we know Curl will be one starter, it’ll be either Johnson or Kinchens starting at the other spot. Lake and Yeast can both play traditional safety roles, too, but they’re more of slot defenders now.

Special teams

1st
K Joshua Karty
P Ethan Evans
LS Alex Ward
KR Cody Schrader
PR Kyren Williams

The kicker, punter and long snapper are all set in stone, but the return specialists have some wiggle room. Sean McVay shockingly said Williams will return punts, but that was before the team claimed Schrader, who returned kickoffs for the 49ers this preseason.

If the Rams feel good about him on kick returns, he could contribute as the punt returner, too.

Comparing Rams’ initial 53-man roster to 2023, position by position

How does the Rams’ current 53-man roster compare to the initial group last year? Here’s a position-by-position comparison.

Although there’s sure to be plenty of moves before Week 1, the Los Angeles Rams have done the hard part of setting their initial 53-man roster for the 2024 season. They cut down from 90 players to only 53 on Tuesday, keeping five undrafted rookies on the roster as of now.

Understandably, the roster looks very different than it did this time last year. There are a lot of new faces, particularly on defense, with another infusion of young talent on the team.

How does this group compare to the initial 2023 team? Here’s a position-by-position breakdown of the Rams’ 53-man roster last year and this season.

Quarterback

2023 2024
Matthew Stafford Matthew Stafford
Stetson Bennett Stetson Bennett

The Rams have the same two quarterbacks as they had on last year’s initial 53-man roster, though it’ll change in Week 3 when Jimmy Garoppolo returns from his two-game suspension.

Running back

2023 2024
Cam Akers Kyren Williams
Kyren Williams Blake Corum
Ronnie Rivers Ronnie Rivers
Zach Evans

Williams and Rivers are back after making the team last year, welcoming Corum to the mix as the backup, as well. Evans made the roster last year as a sixth-round rookie but he was cut this time around.

Wide receiver

2023 2024
Cooper Kupp Cooper Kupp
Van Jefferson Puka Nacua
Tutu Atwell Demarcus Robinson
Puka Nacua Tutu Atwell
Ben Skowronek Jordan Whittington
Demarcus Robinson Tyler Johnson

It’s six receivers again for the Rams and the top five could all play meaningful roles. Whittington might even be ahead of Atwell, whose role is very much up in the air, especially with Williams returning punts

Tight end

2023 2024
Tyler Higbee Colby Parkinson
Brycen Hopkins Davis Allen
Hunter Long Hunter Long
Davis Allen

The Rams went light at tight end this season with Tyler Higbee on the PUP list, leaning on Parkinson, Allen and Long.

Offensive line

2023 2024
Alaric Jackson Jonah Jackson
Steve Avila Steve Avila
Coleman Shelton Kevin Dotson
Tremayne Anchrum Jr. Rob Havenstein
Rob Havenstein Joe Noteboom
Warren McClendon Jr. Warren McClendon Jr.
Brian Allen Beaux Limmer
Joe Noteboom Logan Bruss
Kevin Dotson Conor McDermott
Zach Thomas

Alaric Jackson is suspended two games so he’ll be added back to the 53-man roster in Week 3, which will likely cost McDermott his spot on the team. Bruss is a great redemption story after spending last year on the practice squad.

Defensive line

2023 2024
Aaron Donald Kobie Turner
Bobby Brown III Bobby Brown III
Earnest Brown IV Braden Fiske
Kobie Turner Tyler Davis
Jonah Williams Cory Durden
Desjuan Johnson Desjuan Johnson
Larrell Murchison

It’s weird to see Donald’s name absent from the 2024 side but that’s the reality of the situation for the Rams now. Turner, Brown and Fiske are a great starting trio, with Davis, Durden and Johnson providing depth.

Inside linebacker

2023 2024
Ernest Jones Christian Rozeboom
Christian Rozeboom Troy Reeder
Jake Hummel Jacob Hummel
Omar Speights
Elias Neal

The biggest surprise of the 53-man roster came at inside linebacker where the Rams not only traded Ernest Jones, but they kept five guys on the 53-man roster. That’s a huge number for a team that typically only plays one inside linebacker at a time, but it’s a sign of how well Hummel, Speights and Neal played.

Outside linebacker

2023 2024
Michael Hoecht Byron Young
Byron Young Jared Verse
Nick Hampton Michael Hoecht
Zach VanValkenburg Brennan Jackson
Ochaun Mathis Nick Hampton

Young, Hoecht and Hampton are the only returning edge rushers from last year, with Verse and Jackson being the newcomers. Verse elevates this whole group in a big way and could be in for a big rookie year.

Cornerback

2023 2024
Cobie Durant Darious Williams
Ahkello Witherspoon Tre’Davious White
Derion Kendrick Cobie Durant
Tre Tomlinson Josh Wallace
Shaun Jolly Charles Woods

The only returning cornerback from last year is Durant, making this an entirely new group for Chris Shula to work with. Williams and White arrived in free agency, with Wallace and Woods being undrafted rookies.

Safety

2023 2024
Jordan Fuller Kamren Curl
John Johnson III John Johnson III
Russ Yeast Quentin Lake
Quentin Lake Kamren Kinchens
Jason Taylor II Russ Yeast
Jaylen McCollough

The safety room looks very different for the Rams this year, too. Curl is one starter and the other spot will likely be split between Johnson and Kinchens. Lake is a team captain and will be the “star” defender, primarily covering the slot but also being able to play other positions in the secondary. McCollough is another undrafted rookie who made the team.

Special teams

2023 2024
Ethan Evans Joshua Karty
Alex Ward Ethan Evans
Alex Ward

The Rams didn’t have a kicker initially last year until they signed Brett Maher to the practice squad. This year, there’s more stability with Karty as the starting kicker after he was a sixth-round draft pick.