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St. Louis Rams: Once Again The Youngest Team In The NFL

Being the youngest team in the NFL is getting to be a habit for the St. Louis Rams. The Rams will field the youngest team in the NFL - for the 3rd consecutive year.

Marc Serota

All 32 NFL teams reduced their rosters to 53 players on Saturday. The Rams had some pretty difficult roster decisions to make this year. In Year 3 of a complete rebuild - under Les Snead and Jeff Fisher - the Rams continue to stockpile young talent. For the third consecutive year, the Rams will open the season as the youngest team in the NFL.

St, Louis Rams' Current 53-Man Roster And Depth Chart
C Scott Wells Tim Barnes
RG Rodger Saffold Davin Joseph
LG Greg Robinson Barrett Jones
RT Joe Barksdale
LT Jake Long Mike Person
TE Jared Cook Justice Cunningham Alex Bayer
TE Lance Kendricks Cory Harkey
WR Tavon Austin
WR Brian Quick Austin Pettis
WR Kenny Britt Chris Givens
RB Benny Cunningham Chase Reynolds Trey Watts
RB Zac Stacy Tre Mason
QB Shaun Hill Austin Davis
PK Greg Zuerlein
P John Hekker
LS Jake McQuaide
DT Kendall Langford Aaron Donald
DT Michael Brockers Alex Carrington
DE Chris Long Eugene Sims
DE Robert Quinn William Hayes Ethan Westbrooks
MLB James Laurinaitis
OLB Alec Ogletree Daren Bates
OLB Jo-Lonn Dunbar Ray Ray Armstrong
CB Janoris Jenkins Brandon McGee
CB Trumaine Johnson Marcus Roberson
CB Lamarcus Joyner E.J. Gaines
S Rodney McLeod Maurice Alexander
S T.J. McDonald Cody Davis
Practice Squad Reserve/Suspended Injured Reserve
OT Sean Hooey WR Stedman Bailey TE Mason Brodine
OL Brandon Washington RB Isaiah Pead
DT Matt Conrath QB Sam Bradford
WR Justin Veltung OC Demetrius Rhaney
LB Kevin Reddick
SS Matt Daniels

Every year - when rosters are reduced to 53 players - Jimmy Kempski [Philly.com] collects and analyses age data for all 32 NFL teams. The accompanying chart presents his findings for the last three years:

The Rams remain the youngest team in the NFL for the following reasons:

  • They're committed to building the team through the draft, opting for talented young players over experienced older players.
  • Although the Rams signed a pair of older, experienced veterans during the offseason - Davin Joseph (30) and Shaun Hill (34) - they also released/didn't re-sign a number of ageing veterans: Matt Giordano (31), Will Witherspoon (34), Cortland Finnegan (30), Harvey Dahl (33), Chris Williams (29), and Kellen Clemens (31).
  • Virtually half of the Rams' current roster is comprised of players with one year (or less) of NFL experience. The Rams' roster consists of only three players who have reached the age of 30: Joseph, Hill, and Scott Wells (33).
  • Ten rookies made the Rams' final 53-man roster. Six were 2014 draft selections. The remaining four were UDFA's.

The accompanying chart presents the ten rookies who made the 53-man roster:

    Position Player How Acquired
    OL Greg Robinson 1st Round Draft
    DT Aaron Donald 1st Round Draft
    DB Lamarcus Joyner 2nd Round Draft
    RB Tre Mason 3rd Round Draft
    S Maurice Alexander 4th Round Draft
    CB E.J. Gaines 6th Round Draft
    CB Marcus Roberson UDFA
    RB Trey Watts UDFA
    DL Ethan Westbrooks UDFA
    TE Alex Bayer UDFA

The composition of this years roster once again displays the Rams' commitment to building the team through the draft and UDFA process. It's also a testament to the teams' ability to evaluate - and accumulate - exceptional, young talent.