St. Louis Rams: A Super Early 53-Man Roster Projection

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Defensive Line (8): Michael Brockers, Chris Long, Ethan Westbrooks, Robert Quinn, William Hayes, Eugene Sims, Nick Fairley, Aaron Donald

With all due respect to the Rams’ newly-created offensive line depth, the defensive line will once again be the deepest position group during 2015. The competition has evaporated a bit since last summer, as guys like Michael Sam, Matt Conrath, Kendall Langford, and Alex Carrington are now out of the picture, but there will still be some tough roster decisions. I couldn’t fit seventh-rounder Martin Ifedi, who the coaching staff raved about following his selection, onto this roster, and there’ really only three-and-a-half defensive tackles due to the fact that the Rams’ increased depth at other positions will now likely limit the defensive line group to eight players.

The status of this group may depend more than anything on whether Ethan Westbrooks has added enough weight and strength to his body over the past year to be a viable option at defensive tackle. The Rams listed him at the position last year and played him there during the preseason, but at roughly 270 pounds, he would have been undersized to play there on run downs in a real game. If he’s still built more like a defensive end (and even if he isn’t), the Rams may still consider keeping veteran Doug Worthington or undrafted rookie Louis Trinca-Pasat on the 53-man roster in order to have one more depth player behind Aaron Donald, Michael Brockers, and Nick Fairley.

Next: Linebackers