St. Louis Rams depth chart: Predicting the 53-man roster

Exhibition football is almost over. One more game. And while it may be one big giant bore for fans, it's an important one for coaches who have to figure out which 22 players will get their walking papers ahead of Saturday's deadline.

And what will the St. Louis Rams' final 53-man roster look like, or at least the first iteration of it come Saturday? Let's make some educated guesses! For reference, here's the final roster from last year's cut down date.

Something to remember, with Pead and Dunbar suspended to start the season, the Rams have some temporary flexibility as neither one counts against the roster while on their mandated breaks.

Quarterback (3)

Sam Bradford*
Austin Davis
Kellen Clemens

Fisher will probably keep three QBs. My question is whether or not the actual backup is still on another team's roster.

Wide Receiver (6)

Chris Givens*
Austin Pettis*
Tavon Austin*
Brian Quick
Stedman Bailey
Nick Johnson
Emory Blake
Justin Veltung

Five or six receivers? If they do, I still think it's Johnson, a known commodity that gets it.

Halfback (4)

Daryl Richardson*
Isaiah Pead
Zac Stacy
Ben Cunningham
Chase Reynolds

Last year the Rams kept four running backs, and they just might do it again this year because of the lack of experience. Cunningham's case, for me, is just too hard to ignore. With Pead not counting against the Week 1 roster, that could give both Cunningham and Reynolds an extra week to stick around.

Fullback

Eric Stevens

Tight End (4)

Jared Cook*
Lance Kendricks*
Mike McNeil
Zach Potter
Phillip Lutzenkirchen
Corey Harkey

Fisher hinted at good news for Harkey, so he might be back sooner than anticipated, which was after Week 3. That gives them the flexibility of not having to carry five tight ends. However, with no fullback, they need a hybrid blocker to replace Harkey for however long he is out. This is a tough call.

Offensive line (8)

Jake Long*
Joe Barksdale
D.J. Young

Shelley Smith
Chris Williams*

Scott Wells*
Tim Barnes
Barrett Jones

Harvey Dahl*
Brandon Washington

Rodger Saffold*
Ty Nsekhe
Sean Hooey

That's only eight offensive linemen, which is what the Rams started with last year. Versatility is the rule for the guys who aren't starting.

Defensive linemen (9)

Chris Long*
William Hayes
Mason Brodine
Gerald Rivers

Kendall Langford*
Matt Conrath
Garrett Goebel
RJ Washington

Michael Brockers*
Jermelle Cudjo

Robert Quinn*
Eugene Sims
Sammy Brown

Eight of these spots are claimed, which leaves room for one more going by last year's decision to keep nine defensive linemen.

Left Linebacker (6*)

Alec Ogletree*
James Laurinaitis*
Josh Hull
Darren Bates
Jo-Lonn Dunbar**
Will Witherspoon
Jonathan Stewart
Ray-Ray Armstrong

Dunbar doesn't count against the roster for the first four games of the season thanks to some *ahem* poorly labeled supplements, which is why you've got seven guys here. I like what I've seen from Bates a little more than Stewart, but this will come down to special teams and whatever notes the coaches have on these two. Wti

Cornerback (5)

Cortland Finnegan*
Brandon McGee
Trumaine Johnson
Drew Thomas
Andre Martin
Janoris Jenkins*
Quinton Pointer
Darren Woodard

Safety (6)

Darian Stewart*
Rodney McLeod
Cody Davis
Rashard Hall
T.J. McDonald*
Matt Giodano
Matt Daniels

I've got Stewart listed as the starter, because that hasn't technically changed. I think that McLeod will edge him out for the second safety spot. The PD raises the question of whether or not Stewart's injuries will force him off the roster. It seems like a longshot, but this is a recurring problem. Giordano has missed almost all of camp and the preseason. This is one of those areas where I'd be watching closely for the team to add another veteran.

Kicker

Greg Zuerlein

Punter

Johnny Hekker

Long Snapper

Jake McQuaide

Well, there's no guessing to be done for the special teams guys at least.