8 key quotes from Sean McVay on the Rams' 53-man roster

[theramswire.usatoday.com]
8 key quotes from Sean McVay on the Rams' 53-man roster


Cameron DaSilva
September 1, 2021 6:00 am PT
After cutting their roster down to 53 players on Tuesday afternoon, Sean McVay met with the media to discuss the team’s decisions, highlighting a few players who were tough to move on from, as well as other positions that were difficult to trim.

He specifically discussed how tough it was to move on from Micah Kiser, the way Bryce Perkins earned his spot on the roster, the lack of depth at running back and outside linebacker, and other topics pertaining to the initial 53-man roster.


Here are eight key quotes from McVay’s press conference.

1
One of the toughest rosters to set
Knowing how much talent the Rams had on their offseason roster, it was always going to be a challenge to get down to 53 players. McVay called it one of the toughest rosters to trim as he enters his fifth year as a head coach, which is a testament to the depth the Rams had.

He and the Rams hope to get a lot of players back on the practice squad, but if they get claimed, it’s a sign of their ability.

“I think this was as competitive of a roster and as tough of decisions to get down to however you look at it, 53 or there’s a lot of moving parts with COVID IR and things like that. But there was a lot of really good football players that had to have some tough discussions with myself and Les (Snead) this morning. But I also think it’s a reflection of what great men we have in that locker room. The way they handled it is with class and hopefully we’ll get a lot of those players back on our practice squad, but if they move on or if other teams claim them, then that’s a positive thing for them.”

2
D-line, OLBs and secondary were harder to trim than other positions
McVay was asked which position groups stood out as the most challenging to pare down, and he immediately mentioned the secondary, the edge rushers and the defensive line – particularly the interior of the defensive front.

The Rams had to cut players such as Dont’e Deayon, Justin Lawler and Eric Banks, all of whom are talented and could land on another team’s roster.

“I think that I could really go through a lot of different mechanics, but you look at the DB’s. I think the outside linebackers was very difficult. We have a lot of depth that you guys will see illustrated with our offensive line. But really, I think there was a competitive roster all around. … But I think every situation and every position was really competitive. I think if you said, ‘All right, where do we have a lot of really good depth?’ I think the interior D-line is a spot that really stands out to me.”

3
Excited to have Johnny Hekker back
There was real concern that the Rams might move on from Hekker, either by trading him to another team or outright cutting him. But the two sides worked together to figure out a solution. McVay said Hekker restructured his contract to stay with the Rams, which allowed them to trade Corey Bojorquez to the Packers in a swap of late picks in 2023.

McVay praised Bojorquez, but he’s happy to have Hekker back in Los Angeles for another season.

“Like I said, I think we had two starting punters on our roster, and clearly Corey did an amazing job of maximizing the upside and the interest from teams out there. Knowing that, I think everybody would agree that both he and Johnny are two of the best guys doing what they’re doing. It’s a very specific position and so less than a great job of really exploring some options. And I think what Johnny’s done here, as I’ve mentioned long before I got here, is something that doesn’t go lost on me, doesn’t go lost on us. And I am confident that he’s going to be the productive player that he’s been throughout the course of his career. I know he’s motivated in the right way. And we’re excited about him leading the way for us.”

4
No surprise if Micah Kiser is claimed by a team
One of the more surprising cuts from Tuesday was Kiser, who was a fifth-round pick in 2018 and a starter for nine games last season. He even won Defensive Player of the Week in Week 2 for a standout performance against the Eagles.

But the Rams couldn’t keep more than four linebackers, which led to the decision to cut Kiser. McVay gave Kiser a ton of credit for being a leader and a great person beyond his football ability, calling him one of the toughest decisions the Rams had to make.

He wouldn’t be surprised if Kiser gets claimed by another team, which would prevent the Rams from bringing him back on the practice squad.

“What a stud of a human being, an incredible person. You talk about a guy that’s consistently overcome adversity, respond to the right way. Really what it came down to was we kept four, made it a really tough decision for us. There’s a lot of layers that go into it, but Micah Kiser is the guy that’s shown that he can be a starting caliber player in this league. He is somebody that I think I wouldn’t be surprised if somebody claims him, and if they do, they’re going to get a great man, they’re going to get a great, competitive, tough football player. Really more than anything, it came down to we kept those four and I could go into a lot of depth, but part of it is defense. There’s a special teams element that definitely contributes to some of those decisions. But Micah was one of the more difficult decisions that we had to make organizationally and he continued to epitomize all the things that make him a stud of a human being because of the way that he handled that. You’re not betting against him figuring it out, whether it ends up being with us or whether it’s somewhere else, you’re going to bet on him to be successful.”

5
Offensive line goes 10 deep
The Rams kept 10 offensive linemen, which isn’t surprising in the least bit. They may lack some top-end talent outside of Andrew Whitworth and Rob Havenstein, but the depth is strong because of the young players they have on the second unit.

McVay pointed to Tremayne Anchrum being a riser in that group, though he did note he could land on short-term IR due to a knee injury. Joe Noteboom has a bright future in McVay’s eyes, and Coleman Shelton will be on the active roster once he’s taken off COVID-19 reserve.

“So, we kept ten offensive lineman and a large part of that is the fact that, for you to be able to get 48 up, you’re having eight guys active on the roster. You’re having eight guys up on gameday, and so I think when you look at it, Tremayne did a great job of being able to play both the guard and the tackle spot. He’s only gotten better. We’ve invested some time in him and then a guy that we were able to acquire in college free agency that Kevin Carberry did a great job along with the scouts of identifying as A.J. Jackson. He ended up making the active roster as well, but I think the depth that you have when you can go two deep up front is something that is really important. But we’ve got our starting five, and then got Joe Noteboom, who you feel like is as good as situation in your swing tackle that has starting-caliber resume. I think he’s healthier than he’s ever been. I really expect big things from him. Coleman Shelton is a guy that will place him on COVID IR, but he’s going to be on that active roster. Then you look at Bobby Evans, Tremayne Anchrum and A.J. Jackson kind of rounding out that group.”

6
Never expected to keep 3 QBs
The Rams didn’t go into camp and the preseason expecting to keep three quarterbacks, but Bryce Perkins changed their mind. He impressed in his three preseason games, including the last two which he started and finished.

His play caused the Rams to change their mind and keep him on the 53-man roster, though it is a fluid situation where he could be cut if there’s a player the Rams want to claim and add to their roster. But Perkins earned his spot with an impressive preseason.

“If you told me a few weeks ago, ‘Did you envision keeping three quarterbacks?’ I would have told you no. And I think that’s a real credit to Bryce Perkins earning a spot on the roster.

“I think for the initial parts of it, really proud of what Bryce did. I think he can be proud of his body of work, the improvement. And that was what was reflected in that decision. But how that moves forward, it’s hard for me to kind of anticipate and make a prediction on that.”

7
Practice squad will add depth at RB, OLB
The Rams kept just three running backs and five outside linebackers on the 53-man roster, but they’ll be losing Ogbonnia Okoronkwo to short-term IR, leaving them with only four edge rushers.

They hope to keep guys on the practice squad at those positions who can be elevated on game days to add some depth, but the Rams always expected to only keep three running backs and Jake Funk earned that third spot behind Darrell Henderson Jr. and Sony Michel.

“There’s some hope that we get some guys back on the practice squad that with some of the things that carry over from last year’s COVID (protocols), you do have the ability to potentially flex guys up. So, that gives you a little bit of peace of mind. The outside linebacker position was one that there was a lot of decisions, tough decisions, to be made. With the running back spot, I think when you look at it, you always thought it would be three. I thought Jake Funk did a really good job of making a case that I think you can really trust him to play a role on (special) teams and on offense for us in that September 12th game. We’ll be interested to see how quickly Sony gets up to speed. And then, you guys know the confidence that I have in Darrell Definitely things that you talk about, but I did always envision three guys going into the game, being up and active for us, no more than that.”

8
Vaccination status played no role in roster cuts
McVay said Tuesday that 52 of the 53 players on the team are vaccinated, opting not to disclose which player isn’t vaccinated out of respect for him. He noted that the unvaccinated player “has done an incredible job of demonstrating all the precautionary measures that you would ask and that you would require,” which gives McVay peace of mind.

He was then added that vaccination status played no role in the team’s decisions when it came to cutting players.

“No. Definitely not. That was a zero factor in terms of our decision-making,” he said.