Rams 53-man roster prediction: Who has the early lead in training camp battles?
Who’s separating themselves in the Rams position battles during training camp?

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Blaine Grisak

The Los Angeles Rams officially wrapped up one week of training camp after being in pads for a second consecutive day on Tuesday. Real football starts when the pads go on which means it’s a good time to check in on the position battles with a 53-man roster prediction. Let’s get into it!

Quarterback (2): Matthew Stafford, Stetson Bennett

With Jimmy Garoppolo set to serve a two-game suspension, this has to be how the position shakes out on the roster. The Rams are stuck between a rock and a hard place with Bennett and can only hope he plays well and can show command in the offense.

Said Sean McVay on Monday, “He had some really good reps and some things where we can be a little bit cleaner.” Added The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue, “Bennett’s practice was mixed. He nearly threw an interception to a high-flying Russ Yeast midway through team drills.”

We’ll see how Bennett looks during the preseason. At the end of the day, it’s a great thing that Bennett was able to get right from a mental standpoint. Still, he took a year off of football and didn't look good at times when he played last year. How much can he be expected to improve? The Rams can only hold their breath that Stafford stays healthy.

Note: Jimmy Garoppolo is serving a two-game suspension

Running Back (4): Kyren Williams, Ronnie Rivers, Blake Corum, Boston Scott

It may be somewhat of a surprise for the Rams to cut running back Zach Evans. However, he is the only running back that hasn’t gotten talked about during OTAs or training camp. It’s hard to know what his role on this roster is if he were to earn a spot. At best he would be the third running back behind Williams, Corum, and Rivers and Scott remains ahead of him on special teams.

The Blake Corum stock has slightly cooled down since OTAs with Williams now taking a majority of the first-team reps. It’s became very clear just how much Sean McVay loves Williams. Every time he talks about his starting running back, he gets giddy. This is Kyren Williams’ backfield and everyone else is just living in it.

Wide Receiver (6): Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua, Demarcus Robinson, TuTu Atwell, Jordan Whittington, Tyler Johnson

While there is a lot of talk about the competition at WR3 with Demarcus Robinson and TuTu Atwell, my focus is at WR6. Coming out of OTAs, I wasn’t sure if the Rams would keep six wide receivers. This is an offense that is looking to be heavier and play more physical. However, it wouldn’t be a Sean McVay roster if there weren’t six wide receivers. This is going to be a battle between Tyler Johnson and Xavier Smith. Don’t count out Smith as he has had a good camp. Right now, Johnson gets the slight edge. Said McVay on Johnson,

“I’ve been really impressed. He’s been one of the bright spots in terms of the overall improvement. A guy that’s comfortable doing what we’re asking. I’ve been super impressed and super pleased with Tyler Johnson. He’s definitely been one of the bright spots so far, without a doubt.”

The top-5 seem pretty set in stone. Among the big stories at wide receiver in training camp has been how Puka Nacua is in better shape. We’ll see how that affects his play on the field, but there will likely be good things coming for Nacua.

Tight End (3): Colby Parkinson, Davis Allen, Hunter Long

The Rams are going to be very thin at tight end to start the year and Tyler Higbee returns from injury. That’s somewhat disappointing as it could limit what the Rams are able to do from a 12 personnel standpoint. Even with that being the case, players like Colby Parkinson and Davis Allen should play a larger role in the offense. According to The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue, “Parkinson and Allen have taken on the lead share of snaps in Higbee’s absence.”

Allen has consistently been a red zone threat and has garnered praise from Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp, and offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur. He’s a player that will be looking to take that next step. LaFleur and Kupp both mentioned how much more comfortable Allen looks. Long’s position on the roster would be interesting if Higbee were healthy, but for now, he’ll make it.

Note: Tyler Higbee is on the PUP list

Offensive Line (9): Alaric Jackson, Jonah Jackson, Steve Avila, Kevin Dotson, Rob Havenstein, Joe Noteboom, Warren McClendon, Beaux Limmer, KT Leveston

I’ve mentioned it a few times, but it seems very difficult for anybody to be able to break in to this group. That’s a good thing as it means that the Rams have a lot of depth on the offensive line and the starting five is pretty much in place. That’s night and day from where the Rams were at a year ago. Said McVay on the rebuild of the offensive line,

“Those guys would tell you they’re pretty athletic, even as big as they are. Really, what ended up happening is the evolution and I think with all seriousness, these guys have the ability to be physical, but they’re also athletic enough to be able to do some different things where you can stretch people horizontally. But I feel really good about this group. If they continue to work... if they stay together, if we’re able to stay healthy, I think good things can be in store for them.”

A few players to watch here would be Logan Bruss as a former third-round pick. How has he developed after a year on the practice squad. The Rams could also look at Zach Thomas who has been doing some cross-training at left guard. Blake Larson may be a practice squad candidate as he has been putting in some extra work on the side with Rob Havenstein.

Linebackers (4): Ernest Jones, Christian Rozeboom, Troy Reeder, Jake Hummel

Some may not like to see Christian Rozeboom or Troy Reeder on this list. With that said, the Rams also have limited options at linebacker. The team brought back Rozeboom this offseason and Reeder brings experience and special teams value. There’s a chance the Rams would only keep three with Hummel being the odd man out.

EDGE (5): Byron Young, Jared Verse, Michael Hoecht, Nick Hampton, Brennan Jackson

The surprise cut here is probably Ochaun Mathis. There is a chance that the Rams keep Mathis, but among the edge players, he is one that has not been talked about up to this point. Nick Hampton who was also drafted last year has gotten some praise. Brennan Jackson is starting to gain some momentum as well.

While some will hope that Byron Young and Jared Verse phase out Michael Hoecht, that doesn’t appear to be the case. Said The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue,

“Veteran outside linebacker Michael Hoecht will not give up his snaps easily despite an infusion of youth and talent at his position. Hoecht has set a vocal and physical tone along the defensive line in practices so far this camp, and Monday had perhaps the best day of any player.”

McVay also noted that Hoecht has been a big part of that position room. Verse has been relatively quiet since OTAs. That’s not a bad thing, but only means that he needs to continue working. This is a group with a lot of variety.

Cornerbacks (6): Tre White, Darious Williams, Cobie Durant, Jerry Jacobs, Tre Tomlinson, Josh Wallace

This is a position with a lot of questions after the first week of training camp. Derion Kendrick tore his ACL and he was a good depth piece to have. Additionally, Darious Williams strained his hamstring. He shouldn’t miss the start of the season, but the Rams will need to play it smart with him.

Following the injuries, the Rams went out and signed Jerry Jacobs who has familiarity with Aubrey Pleasant. While Williams is out, Cobie Durant will be expected to step into that spot and rise to the occasion. Behind Jerry Jacobs, keep an eye on undrafted free agent Josh Wallace.

Safety (5): Kam Curl, Quentin Lake, Russ Yeast, Kam Kinchens, John Johnson III

Kam Curl may be the winner of training camp thus far. It wouldn’t be surprising if he’s considered one of the best value free agents at the end of the year if he can stay healthy. According to reports, he’s someone that the defensive staff is very excited about after what he’s show thus far. Said defensive coordinator Chris Shula,

“He has been really good in the deep part of the field. He can do a lot of things and he’s been great with his communication especially coming in here… you would never know [that] this is his first year in this defense just by how well he has communicated.”

It’s certainly possible that the Rams could keep six safeties and opt to keep someone like Jason Taylor II. That would give them some much needed depth in the secondary, especially if Quentin Lake or Russ Yeast need to play in the slot. For now, we’ll stick with this group.

Defensive Line (6): Bobby Brown III, Kobie Turner, Braden Fiske, Tyler Davis, Larrell Murchison, Desjuan Johnson

Another player that has impressed throughout training camp has been Braden Fiske. McVay has consistently talked about how he’s felt Fiske’s presence on the field. During the first day in pads, Fiske was described as “unblockable” via The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue. Added McVay,

“I really felt great in Braden Fiske today. He showed up in a big way. We had some things in that were in alignment that fit his skillset to allow him to really thrive and he took advantage of it. There’ll be learning opportunities, but I definitely felt like overall, you felt the defensive energy.”

This isn’t to say that Fiske is going to replace Aaron Donald because those would be unfair expectations. However, it’s always nice to see a rookie making an early impact during training camp. Kobie Turner hasn’t been 100 percent up to this point, but that pairing should be fun to watch.

Specialists (3): Joshua Karty, Ethan Evans, Alex Ward

There isn’t a lot to report here. On Saturday, the Rams set up a simulated scenario in which they had a longer kick for both Tanner Brown and Joshua Karty to win the game. Per McVay, “I thought they did an excellent job.” On Tuesday, he mentioned Karty again, saying, “I really like what I saw from Josh Karty today in the kicking session.”