The Rams have an interesting bit of maneuvering to navigate before Tuesday’s roster cut-down date.
In Saturday’s preseason finale against the Houston Texans, a 17-15 Rams loss, quarterback Stetson Bennett IV was conspicuously absent from the starting lineup. In his place was fourth-stringer Dresser Winn for his first snaps of the preseason.
During the ABC preseason show, head coach Sean McVay said Bennett would be the Rams’ backup quarterback for Weeks 1 and 2 while Jimmy Garoppolo serves his two-game suspension. Which leaves the Rams with a decision to make.
Do they cut Bennett on Tuesday, hope he clears waivers, sign him to the practice squad and then elevate him to the active roster when Garoppolo’s suspension starts? Or do they keep three quarterbacks on the initial roster and play that game of waiver roulette with another player?
McVay and the Rams tend to be risk adverse, so the guess is the Rams keep Bennett on the roster on Tuesday. So who they decide to play that game of chance with remains to be seen. But here’s a projection of what the Rams’ 53-man roster could look like Tuesday:
Quarterback (3)
Projected starter: Matthew Stafford
Projected backups: Jimmy Garoppolo, Stetson Bennett IV
The Rams typically keep only two QBs on the active roster, so expect Bennett to be moved to practice squad after Garoppolo’s suspension.
Running back (4)
Projected starter: Kyren Williams
Projected backups: Blake Corum, Ronnie Rivers, Boston Scott
Williams, Corum and Rivers haven’t played this preseason as the Rams save them for the regular season. Scott led the NFL in rushing yards through the first two weeks of the preseason. He also has been utilized by the Rams in the new kickoff return, which gives him a special teams reason for sticking on the roster.
Wide receiver (6)
Projected starters: Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua, Demarcus Robinson
Projected backups: Tutu Atwell, Jordan Whittington, Xavier Smith
The top-five of this group are secure, so the question is sixth receiver. Smith and Tyler Johnson have been in a tight competition for this job, with both having strong springs and summers. Ultimately, Smith is the more consistent of the two and offers more in special teams as a returner. It’s possible Johnson is a candidate to be re-signed to the practice squad and then promoted after the Garoppolo suspension.
Tight end (3)
Projected starter: Colby Parkinson
Projected backups: Davis Allen, Hunter Long
The Rams kept four tight ends on their roster last year, but with usual starter Tyler Higbee on the PUP list to start the season as he continues to recover from knee surgery, they can afford to limit themselves to three and use the spot on a different position group.
Offensive line (10)
Projected starters: Alaric Jackson, Jonah Jackson, Steve Avila, Kevin Dotson, Rob Havenstein
Projected backups: Joe Noteboom, Beaux Limmer, Warren McClendon Jr., Logan Bruss, Zach Thomas
This is a group that, like quarterback, will need some maneuvering before Week 1 with left tackle Alaric Jackson receiving his own two-game suspension on Friday. A.J. Arcuri and Conor McDermott seem like candidates to give the Rams an extra tackle in that time.
In this exercise, K.T. Leveston is the one rookie draft pick left off the 53-man roster. The seventh rounder has been dealing with an injury for most of training camp and just hasn’t shown enough to stay on the roster, especially given that Jonah Jackson and Havenstein have been dealing with their own injuries for much of the last month.
Defensive line (6)
Projected starters: Kobie Turner, Braden Fiske, Bobby Brown III
Projected backups: Tyler Davis, Desjuan Johnson, Larrell Murchison
This has pretty consistently been the six in the mix with the first-team defense throughout camp. Perhaps Cory Durden has pushed for Murchison’s spot due to an arm injury, but it seems like this will likely be the six going forward.
Outside linebacker (5)
Projected starters: Byron Young, Jared Verse
Projected backups: Michael Hoecht, Brennan Jackson, Nick Hampton
Young, Verse and Hoecht will rotate for most of the OLB snaps, at least early in the season. Jackson returned from a soft-tissue injury to make his preseason debut Saturday. Hampton’s contributions on special teams probably give him the edge over Ochaun Mathis and Zach VanValkenburg for the final spot.
Inside linebacker (4)
Projected starters: Ernest Jones IV, Christian Rozeboom
Projected backups: Troy Reeder, Omar Speights
This was one of the biggest competitions of the last week, but general manager Les Snead ended any speculation during the broadcast Saturday by saying not only has Speights made the 53-man roster, but he’ll be part of the 48-man game day maximum, too, with a role at least on special teams. Jake Hummel, however, was also held out of the preseason finale. Look for him to potentially be a call-up after Garoppolo’s suspension.
Cornerback (4)
Projected starters: Tre’Davious White, Darious Williams
Projected backups: Decobie Durant, Josh Wallace
Last week’s injury settlement with Jerry Jacobs (groin) opened up the fourth corner job. McVay lavished praise on Wallace during the broadcast of the game Saturday and his ability to see the game, so look for him to take the final CB spot.
Related Articles
Rams OL Alaric Jackson suspended 2 games for violating NFL personal conduct policy
Life after Aaron Donald: How the Rams’ defensive line is evolving
C.J. Stroud thrilled to talk to Matthew Stafford after Rams-Texans joint practice
Rams QB Matthew Stafford progresses in return to practice
Rams QB Matthew Stafford (hamstring) limited in practice
Safety (5)
Projected starters: Cam Kurl, John Johnson III, Quentin Lake
Projected backups: Kamren Kinchens, Russ Yeast
The final safety is probably the toughest decision left, because Jaylen McCollough has been one of the top preseason performers. But Yeast has been Lake’s primary backup at the star cornerback job. While McCollough has gotten some experience at that spot, he’s still primarily a free safety and ultimately doesn’t give the Rams the flexibility they need, unless he’s called up after the Garoppolo suspension.
Specialist (3)
Projected starters: Joshua Karty, Ethan Evans, Alex Ward