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Getting some pictures of Matthew Stafford playing in a LA Rams jersey will do wonders for this website and the world. Until then, we’re stuck with the Honolulu blue.
If you’re interested in longform writing about the Rams and position battles within, I posted that earlier on Sunday. In the meantime, allow me to zoom through a gut-reaction 53-man roster that won’t take me nearly as wrong to write.
Use this as an opportunity to disagree with me, as nobody knows what will happen and only through debate and discourse can we arrive at a more rational expectation of September’s eventual answer. This is my immediate reaction to how the 53-man roster could shake out by Week 1.
I like to do these by first attempting to write all the names that I can remember off the top of my head who I think could make it and then checking my work at the end to find out that I completely forgot about A’Shawn Robinson.
QB - Matthew Stafford, John Wolford
RB - Cam Akers, Darrell Henderson, Xavier Jones, Jake Funk
WR - Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp, DeSean Jackson, Tutu Atwell, Van Jefferson (gonna stop at 5)
TE - Tyler Higbee, Brycen Hopkins, Johnny Mundt, Jacob Harris
OL - Andrew Whitworth (LT), David Edwards (LG), Austin Corbett (C), Bobby Evans (RG), Rob Havenstein (RT), Joseph Noteboom (SWING), Brian Allen (bC), Tremayne Anchrum (Utility), Coleman Shelton (G/C), (OPEN FOR SIGNING)
DL - Aaron Donald, A’Shawn Robinson (nailed it), Sebastian Joseph-Day, Bobby Brown III, Greg Gaines, Earnest Brown IV
OLB - Leonard Floyd, Ogbonnia Okoronwko, Justin Hollins, Chris Garrett, Taylor Rapp
ILB - Micah Kiser, Troy Reeder, Ernest Jones
FS - Jordan Fuller, Nick Scott
SS - Terrell Burgess, Juju Hughes
CB - Jalen Ramsey, Darious Williams, Robert Rochell
NCB - David Long, Jr.
ST - K Matt Gay, P Johnny Hekker, LS (name of one of those guys)
Explanations
I just counted off for the first time how many names that it is and apparently landed at 50, including the open spot for another offensive line veteran signing or trade. This is actually great news because now I can add in three whole names on top of these 50.
- Chose Funk or Raymond Calais for no great reason, but if it were Calais, that would make sense because he could fill the kick returner role with Nsimba Webster not on this roster presently.
- I went with five receivers because I wanted to save some room there, because you can always go back and fill in a wideout later. It’s a position that flexes from some teams carrying as few as four and others carrying as many as seven. It really would have to depend on my needs on special teams, or having a deep threat, or a great run blocker, more so than looking for the next DeAndre Hopkins. That’s not the purpose that a team’s fifth or sixth receiver typically serves.
- At 6’5, 215 lbs, Harris could fill a variety of roles but here I’ve got him slotted with the tight ends. By having five receivers and four tight ends, it’s similar to having six WRs and three TEs, just told in a different way.
- I felt that by not drafting an offensive lineman, the Rams are really in a position to let the competitions play out and then wait to see which options are available after a couple preseason games and veteran cuts. They might not be looking for a starter but there’s not enough depth here for me to believe they couldn’t be seeking some reserves with experience later in the year.
- A lot of people voice the desire to see Rapp as a linebacker and I don’t see the harm in putting him there. If it brings even ONE reader joy, then I’ve done my job.
- This probably isn’t the front-seven I’ll settle on.
- I think I forgot a safety.
- Terrell Lewis!
- Kenny Young!
- Travin Howard!
- Sorry y’all, guess it’s hard for even me to keep track of the Rams’ linebackers.
Adding back in Lewis and Howard, swapping out Garrett for Young, I’m left with 52 players and a choice of who to be the final player on the roster.
Nsimba Webster? Ben Skowronek? Jamil Demby? COREY BOJORQUEZ?
Let me post the final 53-man roster projection below with the answer and you post your disagreements to my projection in the comments section.