St. Louis Rams: An Updated Attempt at Constructing the 53-Man Roster

Now that the St. Louis Rams are halfway through the preseason. Here’s one guess at who might be left on the roster when it’s reduced to 53 players by September 5:

Quarterbacks (3): Nick Foles, Case Keenum, Sean Mannion

Keenum clearly has the edge over Austin Davis, who’s gotten very abbreviated preseason opportunities. He’s been slightly better than Davis as a starter in the NFL and presents more upside behind Nick Foles.

Running Backs (5): Todd Gurley, Tre Mason, Benny Cunningham, Chase Reynolds, Malcolm Brown, Trey Watts*

More dramatic than the roster battle at this position is the battle for depth chart placement, as Cunningham and Mason will be fighting for the reps that remain behind presumptive starter Todd Gurley.

Watts is suspended for the first four games of the season due to a drug policy violation, so it might make more sense for the Rams to just cut him and then bring him back after the suspension is done. However, they’ve been patient with guys who have had similar issues in recent years, such as Austin Pettis.

Wide Receivers (5): Kenny Britt, Brian Quick, Tavon Austin, Stedman Bailey, Chris Givens

Givens, who has lasted an incredibly long time on the Rams’ roster without really doing much since his rookie season in 2012, seems to have secured himself a spot again this season by showing off his deep ball skills and an improved physique. A general lack of competition also helps his cause, though undrafted free agent Bradley Marquez has impressed with his special teams skills and may push for a sixth wideout spot if one exists.

Tight Ends (4): Jared Cook, Lance Kendricks, Cory Harkey, Justice Cunningham

Justice Cunningham figures to have the edge over Alex Bayer for the fourth tight end job, as he has better blocking and special teams skills, while Bayer hasn’t shown the same flashiness as a receiver that he did last preseason.

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Offensive Line (10): Greg Robinson, Rodger Saffold, Demetrius Rhaney, Jamon Brown, Rob Havenstein, Barrett Jones, Garrett Reynolds, Andrew Donnal, Isaiah Battle, Darrell Williams

Undrafted free agent Darrell Williams has been a surprising revelation as the team’s number two left tackle in the preseason thus far. He may still get cut because the Rams have draft picks invested in five rookies and have a long history with Brandon Washington and Tim Barnes, but it’s interesting that he looks like the team’s best backup tackle right now.

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

Beyond their top three defensive tackles, the Rams quite literally have no depth at the position, and it looks like they’ll be using 270-pound Ethan Westbrooks as their fourth DT. The Rams’ top seven linemen are very good to great, but beyond that, there’s not a guy that is forcing the Rams’ hand for a ninth D-line spot like Westbrooks and Gerald Rivers have done in recent preseasons.

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Linebackers (6): James Laurinaitis, Alec Ogletree, Akeem Ayers, Jo-Lonn Dunbar, Marshall McFadden, Daren Bates

The Rams seem to have learned their lesson about going short on linebackers, as an implosion by second-year linebacker Ray Ray Armstrong led to his release early in the season and forced the Rams to scramble for depth with just four LBs left on the roster. McFadden and Bates are both strong special-teamers, while Dunbar should be the primary backup at all three positions when needed.

Cornerbacks (4): Janoris Jenkins, Trumaine Johnson, Lamarcus Joyner, Marcus Roberson

It might seem odd for a team in today’s NFL to only carry four cornerbacks on the roster, but the Rams have usually only utilized three corners from scrimmage during games since Jeff Fisher took over in 2012. Rodney McLeod and Mark Barron have experience playing the nickelback position, so it’s not completely necessary for the Rams to have a fifth corner. Undrafted rookie Imoan Claiborne could push for the spot, but he’ll face a crunch due to needs at other spots on the roster.

Safeties (5): Rodney McLeod, T.J. McDonald, Mark Barron, Cody Davis, Maurice Alexander

After a long period in which the Rams didn’t really have any starting-quality safeties, this is arguably the deepest position group on the roster. McLeod and McDonald are a very good starting duo, while Barron can contribute in sub-packages and Davis and Alexander are important members of the Rams’ special teams units.

Specialists (3): Greg Zuerlein, Johnny Hekker, Jake McQuaide

Final Cuts: WR Bradley Marquez, TE Alex Bayer, C Tim Barnes, G/T Brandon Washington, DE Martin Ifedi, CB Imoan Claiborne

Next: Rams vs. Titans: Takeaways and Observations from Sunday's Game