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theramswire.usatoday.com] Rams' 9 biggest roster needs for 2023
Cameron DaSilva
January 16, 2023 11:17 am PT
The Los Angeles Rams are a week removed from their 2022 season ending, so they’ve already begun the process of evaluating their roster and deciding which positions need the most help and which ones might be in good shape for 2023. After going 5-12, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that this team has some serious holes to fill at key positions, too.
Looking at the current roster and the Rams’ pending free agents, here are their nine biggest needs heading into this offseason.
1
Outside linebacker
This was one of the Rams’ biggest needs in 2022 and somehow the situation has gotten even worse. Leonard Floyd is the only lock to start at outside linebacker in 2023, assuming the Rams don’t move on from him in what would be a surprising cap-saving move. Opposite him, there are former late-round picks and undrafted free agents like Daniel Hardy and Michael Hoecht.
The Rams can’t get by with this group in 2023, especially with it being such an important position on defense. When it comes to the draft, edge rusher should be priority No. 1 – even if they manage to add a potential starter in free agency.
2
Tight end
Yes, Tyler Higbee is still under contract in 2023. No, the Rams should not bank on him as their only starting-caliber tight end next season. Higbee’s hands as a receiver aren’t nearly consistent enough and he seems to have lost a step, which is part of the reason his average yards per catch has decreased in each of the last two years, from 11.8 in 2020 to just 8.6 this season.
Brycen Hopkins has potential and a similar skill set to Higbee, but he’s played a total of 234 snaps in his career and has only seven receptions for 118 yards in three seasons. He’s the only other possible starter at tight end who’s currently on the Rams’ roster.
Los Angeles doesn’t have to move on from Higbee, but finding a true No. 2 this year is critically important.
3
Offensive line
There are pieces already on the roster at guard and center but none of them can be considered surefire starters. Brian Allen has a tough injury history, Logan Bruss is still a relative unknown, Coleman Shelton has struggled at both positions and David Edwards is a pending free agent.
The Rams could move on from Allen or Shelton (or both) this offseason and if they do, finding a bigger center to anchor the line should be on the team’s to-do list. Allen carries serious durability questions and has been overmatched by powerful nose tackles, which has made center a weak spot up front.
At tackle, Rob Havenstein will remain a starter, but Joe Noteboom and Alaric Jackson are the only other options at left tackle. Noteboom’s injury history is a major concern and Jackson might be needed at guard.
4
Safety
Taylor Rapp and Nick Scott were the Rams’ primary starters, and both of them will be free agents in March. Russ Yeast and Quentin Lake were drafted for that very reason last year but neither has shown enough to prove they will be quality replacements at safety. Jordan Fuller is still on the roster, too, but he was demoted to a backup role in 2022 before missing most of the season with a hamstring injury.
The Rams have been quite good at finding starting-caliber safeties in the draft so Yeast and Lake could be next in line but this position group still needs depth regardless.
5
Cornerback
Barring an unexpected trade, Jalen Ramsey will be back as the Rams’ top cornerback. Other than that, there are a lot of questions at that spot. Cobie Durant showed potential in his limited playing time, so he should be another starter. But Derion Kendrick needs developing, Robert Rochell was a special teams player and David Long Jr. is a free agent – one the Rams are unlikely to re-sign. The same goes for Troy Hill.
Cornerback is one of the most important positions on the roster and the Rams could use another experienced starter to replace Hill if he’s not re-signed. Adding more young talent is another possibility, even after drafting Durant and Kendrick last year.
6
Nose tackle
Greg Gaines has played well at nose tackle but he’s set to become a free agent, leaving a big void (literally) in the middle of the defensive line. Marquise Copeland and Bobby Brown III are decent options but if the Rams want to maintain one of the best run defenses in the NFL, they need to either re-sign Gaines or find a replacement on the same talent level.
7
Wide receiver
Cooper Kupp will hopefully enjoy a healthy 2023 season after missing time with an ankle injury this past season, which will be a big lift for the offense. Given the structure of his contract, Allen Robinson will be back unless he’s trade, but he was highly unproductive in Year 1 with the Rams. Van Jefferson needs to bounce back from a disappointing, injury-delayed season.
Tutu Atwell is the wild card in all of this because if he can become a starting receiver, the Rams should be set at this position – with Ben Skowronek in the mix, too. But this is a team that could use wide receiver help, even with Kupp, Robinson and Jefferson back. That trio didn’t stop them from showing interest in Odell Beckham Jr.
8
Backup QB
We learned what life without Matthew Stafford would be like this season when he missed time with a concussion and neck injury, and it wasn’t pretty. Baker Mayfield was the only somewhat capable quarterback who replaced Stafford, and it shows the Rams need to add a backup who can keep the ship afloat if Stafford were to go down again.
Mayfield is one option, and he fits the mold of an experienced veteran backup – the type of player the Rams should target in free agency. John Wolford or Bryce Perkins won’t cut it as the primary backup in 2023.
9
Running back
Cam Akers has the talent to be the Rams’ starter next season and probably should be just that. Kyren Williams is a solid backup, though Los Angeles’ reluctance to play him at the end of the year was shocking.
What puts running back lower on the list of priorities is the ease in which teams can find good No. 2 options and even starters in the draft without using valuable assets like first- and second-round picks.
Thanks to Akers’ resurgence late in the year, the Rams can feel at least somewhat good about their backfield heading into 2023.
