St. Louis Rams: 5 Darkhorse Candidates to Make the 53-Man Roster

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Darrell Williams, OT

One of the most surprising developments in last week’s preseason opener (at least for me) was that Williams, an undrafted free agent from South Florida, worked as the left tackle with the number two offensive line. Now, the Rams’ offensive line is by no means loaded with depth, so it wasn’t a total shock, but considering that the team has invested draft picks in guys like Andrew Donnal and Isaiah Battle and brought back 2014 practice squad member Steven Baker, it’s quite interesting that the Rams elected to give reps at what is widely considered to be the line’s most important position to Williams.

The Rams may just have used Williams on the left and Donnal, a fourth-rounder in this year’s draft, on the right due to the fact that they played those same sides in college. But the general expectation has been that Donnal would serve as the team’s swing tackle this year, so the fact that he’s not being aggressively cross-trained on the left side may mean that the 6-foot-5, 300-pound Williams has a fighting chance.

It bodes well for Williams that Battle, a fifth-round pick in this July’s supplemental draft, has virtually no chance of seeing the field this year as he continues to try to gain strength and add weight to his 290-pound frame. Thus, Battle is never going to be one of the team’s three or four backups that are active on gamedays, and if Donnal is also deemed too raw to serve in one of those roles to start the season, it may open up a spot for the more polished Williams to make the team.

Next: Imoan Claiborne, CB