Just how ‘clean’ will Rams player roster be in 2023?

Just how clean will LA Rams slate be in 2023?

[ramblinfan.com]

Bret Stuter



p the entire roster to clearing the shelves and restocking the team with rookies who, hopefully, will grow and develop at the same pace all together into an NFL Championship team. On the face of it, the LA Rams are not exactly bursting with seasoned NFL veterans right now, and there are no signs that the team has any interest in adding any before the opening kickoff.

With 45 players under contract, and NFL rosters set at 90 players through training camp, it stands to reason that the Rams will add up to half of their team during and after the 2023 NFL Draft. 45 players are more than double the roster of an NBA team, twice the number of players on an NHL team, slightly less than all players on a Major League Baseball team, and nearly the number of players on an NFL team's 53-man active roster.

And the LA Rams have not met them yet.

So what does mean in terms of the team's starting roster? In a short but sweet summary, it means that the team has a huge number of starting positions up for grabs. How many? Perhaps more than we realize.

Defense help wanted

We can all agree that the LA Rams defense has a great deal of uncertainty in terms of who the starters may be. While you can make an argument that out of sheer numbers, the Rams may start any number of returning players on defense. But in terms of locks, I would not bet on anyone past ILB Ernest Jones and DL Aaron Donald into starting roles for 2023.

In terms of special teams, the Rams have allowed all four special team specialists to seek employment elsewhere. So out of 15 starting positions so far, the Rams have up to 13 starting roles up for grabs.

What of the Rams offense? Well, the team has a new offensive line coach and the team lost starting left guard David Edwards to free agency. Truth be told, I believe that as of right now, only offensive right tackle has a lock on his starting role in 2023. The Rams may have all other four starters on the roster, but I would not be the least bit surprised if the team recasts the other four, either from veterans in new positions, or new rookies altogether.

Whose role is it anyway?

We know that QB Matthew Stafford, tight end Tyler Higbee, and WR Cooper Kupp will start. I'll go out on a limb and assert that RB Cam Akers can be penciled in as a 2023 starter as well. But what of the other positions? If Allen Robinson is released or traded after June 1, then the Rams offense will seek a new WR2 and WR3. While they are likely already on the Rams roster today, that could change after coaches are able to assess the full 90-man roster in OTAs and training camp.

It's quite clear that the LA Rams have never been more mysterious than this offseason. And it's that uncertainty that has forced many who cover the Rams to speculate and offer conjecture rather than hard facts. Nobody knows what the LA Rams will do before the 2023 NFL season gets underway.

Just how clean will the LA Rams' slate be in 2023? From what we know now, it will be a pretty blank slate, perhaps wiped clean even more than the 2017 NFL season. Out of 26 starters, the Rams could be open to competition to determine 15 starting positions for the 2023 NFL season.

Who knows what the LA Rams have planned? For now, only the LA Rams know, and they aren't sharing.