Turf Show Times
With Los Angeles Rams OTAs winding down to next week’s finale, a mandatory three-day mini camp, L.A. is officially in pursuit of Super Bowl LXI. This season’s extravaganza will be held on the Rams home field, SoFi Stadium, February 14, 2027.
Having just come up short in the past two seasons, the Rams continue pursuit, making off season moves to solidify weak areas of the roster and hopefully, get them over the top. OTAs are mostly about scheme change installations, getting the the team acclimated to new teammates, and preaching the “Rams way”. Still it’s not too early to project who will be the Rams opening 53 players. There may be a lot of time left until final cut downs, but the depth of the roster only leaves a handful of open spots.
Here’s how I would fill them and some of my preseason thoughts. Opening roster in bold.
Starter: Matthew Stafford
Primary backups: Ty Simpson, Stetson Bennett
Cut/practice squad: Matthew Caldwell
The only question at QB is who would come off the bench if Stafford is injured. If the absence is a longer term, let Simpson loose to sink or swim. In a short term, there is an argument to be made for Bennett, he has shown incremental year-to-year improvement during preseason games and in theory, should have a good grasp of the offensive principles in Year 3.
Starter: Kyren Williams
Primary backups: Blake Corum, Jarquez Hunter
Roster bubble: Ronnie Rivers
Cut/practice squad: Jordan Waters, Dean Conners
Luxury problems here. The Rams could likely get away with rostering three backs and keep two on the practice squad. KWill has three straight seasons of 1100+ yard rushing and double-digit touchdowns with a catch rate at 75 percent, yet, Corum showed explosive qualities last year and deserves more work. A single offensive rep would be an uptick for Hunter, who remains stalled behind L.A.’s talented tandem. The bottom three of the unit would all likely clear waivers and be eligible for the practice squad, Rivers is a known quantity for his adequate all-around play, Conners gives of the same vibes, but is quicker, and Waters offers a big body for short yardage.
Starters: Puka Nacua, Davante Adams
Primary backups: Jordan Whittington, CJ Daniels, Konata Mumpfield, Xavier Smith
Roster battle/bubble: Tyler Scott, Harold Presley
Cut/practice squad: Mario Williams, Tru Edwards
If both L.A.’s stars, Nacua and Adams can stay healthy, the lack of depth at WR#3 will be mostly negated. But doubts will linger, if one or both get nicked up and misses extended action. Whittington gets a real chance to prove he can handle the Rams role that he played in college, the quiet guy who does tough-guy work underneath and around the line of scrimmage. Mumpfield and Daniels are similar athletically, adequate. Daniels appears to be stronger at the catch point, while Mumpfield should be improved over his rookie season. Smith holds the sixth and final roster spot, if...
