St. Louis Rams 2013 depth chart: A first look

The depth chart is starting to take shape with the first preseason game on the docket for this week.

By Ryan Van Bibber@justRVB Aug 5, 2013, 11:12am CDT

The St. Louis Rams kick off their preseason schedule on Thursday in Cleveland. It also means the Rams, for the first time since camp opened, released an unofficial depth chart. Let's take a look.

Quarterback

Sam Bradford
Austin Davis
Kellen Clemens
Tim Jenkins

Wide Receiver

Chris Givens
Austin Pettis
Tavon Austin
Brian Quick
Stedman Bailey
Nick Johnson
Demetrius Fields
Raymond Radway
Andrew Helmick
Emory Blake
Justin Veltung

Halfback

Daryl Richardson
Isaiah Pead
Zac Stacy
Terrance Ganaway
Ben Cunningham
Chase Reynolds

Fullback

Eric Stevens

Tight End

Jared Cook
Lance Kendricks
Mike McNeil
Zach Potter
Phillip Lutzenkirchen
Corey Harkey
Cameron Graham
Colby Prince

Left Tackle

Jake Long
Joe Barksdale

Left Guard

Shelley Smith
Chris Williams

Center

Scott Wells
Tim Barnes
Barrett Jones

Right Guard

Harvey Dahl
Brandon Washington
Ryan Lee

Right Tackle

Rodger Saffold
Ty Nsekhe
Sean Hooey
Graham Pocic

A few thoughts about the offense ...

Smith and Williams have been, essentially, interchangeable at the left guard spot. Williams seems to have an edge based on what we've seen in practice, but the games will go a lot further toward deciding that.
Quick has improved since his rookie season, but he's still battling consistency issues. The Post-Dispatch said "he still has work to do." Not a huge surprise. The good thing is that he's getting plenty of reps, the kind that you just don't get in OTAs or off-site workouts. Keep a close eye on Quick as we head into the regular season.
Offensive line depth is a little more of a concern than initially thought, mostly at the tackle position. Remember, both Long and Saffold missed time with injuries last year.
Depth on the interior line in much better. Remember too that Barrett Jones got a late start to camp because he was recovering from a foot injury.
It's a long shot, but watch to see if any of the other tight ends on the roster leap Kendricks on the depth chart. He's still not practicing, and will likely miss this week's game.

Left Defensive End

Chris Long
William Hayes
Mason Brodine
Gerald Rivers

Left Defensive Tackle

Kendall Langford
Matt Conrath
Garrett Goebel

Right Defensive Tackle

Michael Brockers
Jermelle Cudjo
Al Lapuaho

Right Defensive End

Robert Quinn
Eugene Sims
Sammy Brown

Left Linebacker

Alec Ogletree
Jabara Williams

Middle Linebacker

James Laurinaitis
Josh Hull
Darren Bates
Joseph Lebeau

Right Linebacker

Jo-Lonn Dunbar
Will Witherspoon
Jonathan Stewart
Ray-Ray Armstrong

Left Cornerback

Cortland Finnegan
Brandon McGee
Trumaine Johnson
Drew Thomas
Andre Martin

Right Cornerback

Janoris Jenkins
Quinton Pointer
Darren Woodard
Robert Steeples

Free Safety

Darian Stewart
Rodney McLeod
Cody Davis
Rashard Hall

Strong Safety

T.J. McDonald
Matt Giodano
Matt Daniels

A few thoughts about the defense ...

No real surprises here. The only positions with new faces in the starting lineup are the two safety spots and the linebacker spot Ogletree is manning.
Speaking of linebackers, this group could end up being one of the strongest units on the team. If Ogletree plays as well in coverage as he's practiced in camp (and did in college), it gives the Rams that much more flexibility with their defensive backs.
Trumaine Johnson is listed as the fourth corner, but he'll see the third most reps of any corner because the Rams play so much in the nickel and dime.

Kicker

Greg Zuerlein
Brett Baer

Punter

Johnny Hekker
Brett Baer

Holder

Johnny Hekker

Long Snapper

Jake McQuaide
Jorgen Hus

Punt Return

Tavon Austin
Austin Pettis

Kick Return

Tavon Austin
Isaiah Pead
Janoris Jenkins

There it is, writ large for all the world to see ... Tavon Austin, kick and punt returner. That's fluid too, if one of the other players can step up or if they get concerned about the impact on his offensive workload.
Long snappers don't get much love, but the Rams have two pretty good ones. Of course, McQuaide has a new long-term contract. Hus will catch on somewhere else, I'd be willing to bet.