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St. Louis Rams vs. Indianapolis Colts: Takeaways and Observations from 24-14 Rams Loss

By Patrick Karraker

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The St. Louis Rams fell to 0-3 on the preseason Saturday against the Indianapolis Colts, losing 24-14 to the defending AFC South champions. They were a bit crisper, however, as the starting offense scored its first touchdown and there was a more significant pass rush from the Rams’ all-star defensive line. It still wasn’t enough, though, to alleviate concerns that the Rams will be one of the NFL’s bottom dwellers in 2015. Here are a few observations from Saturday night’s contest:

  • Unless he ends up getting traded, Chris Givens probably solidified his 53-man roster spot on Saturday night. The fourth-year receiver is going to have a difficult time getting on the field come the regular season due to the presence of Kenny Britt, Brian Quick, Stedman Bailey, and Tavon Austin, but he’s arguably been the Rams’ preseason MVP to this point. After scoring an 80-yard touchdown in last week’s loss to the Tennessee Titans, Givens continued his impressive string of play by scoring a 44-yarder on Saturday to give the Rams’ first-team offense their first touchdown of the preseason. It’s a tough situation because Givens doesn’t have the special teams ability of guys like Damian Williams and Bradley Marquez, but if Givens continues performing as well as he has this preseason, the Rams will have no choice but to find a role for him. His status as a “one-trick pony” with the deep ball has been well-established by this point, but at least in exhibition games, that trick still seems to be working, so the Rams might as well see if they can get a few electrifying plays out of him during the regular season.

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  • After a rough start to the preseason, rookie Bryce Hager has looked much more natural as of late and is improving his odds of making the team. The Rams will likely only keep six linebackers, so special teams ace Marshall McFadden still seems to have the edge for now, but Hager is making it tough with his team-leading 15 tackles (tied for 14th in the NFL this preseason). Hager’s chances would be boosted if the Rams feel the need to keep another linebacker in the absence of Daren Bates, who may miss the first couple weeks of the regular season with an injury.
  • Isaiah Battle, the Rams’ supplemental fifth-rounder out of Clemson, has a LONG way to go before he’s ready to be even a backup swing tackle in the NFL. The 6-foot-7, 290-pounder was left chasing his man on several occasions on Saturday, and he’s looked pretty lost all preseason. Hopefully a full year with the playbook and in the team’s strength and conditioning program will make him more comfortable, but full-scale development should not necessarily be expected with players as raw as Battle, thanks to the NFL’s new CBA that so strictly limits practice and workout time.
  • After getting passed up on the depth chart by Demetrius Rhaney, a natural center who’s 20 pounds lighter than him, there doesn’t seem to be much of a point of having fourth-year lineman Brandon Washington on the roster any longer. It would be slightly surprising if Washington, who has spent nearly all of his career on the Rams’ practice squad, was not released in the cutdown to 75 players this week.

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  • Speaking of Rhaney, he’s played pretty well during the preseason and seems to have long-term potential as a starter, but he’ll likely end up being the Rams’ utility backup at guard and center this year. That’s because Barrett Jones, who’s long been viewed as a high-upside player but has failed to show much on the field, has really performed solidly this preseason and figures to win the starting center job. If Jones happens to have more injury issues like the ones that have consistently held him back as a pro, Rhaney should be a fine replacement up the middle.
  • The Rams already have transferred undrafted receiver Isiah Ferguson to injured reserve and figure to do the same with cornerback E.J. Gaines this week, so they’ll have to cut 13 players from their roster to get to the 75-player limit. Others besides Washington who would seem to be prime candidates for removal: punter/kicker Michael Palardy, long snapper Tyler Ott, wide receiver Tyler Slavin, safeties Jay Hughes and Jacob Hagen, cornerbacks Trovon Reed and Montell Garner, fullback Zach Laskey, linebackers Cameron Lynch and Keshaun Malone, and offensive linemen David Wang and Steven Baker, and defensive tackle Marcus Forston. Fringe players who have missed the bulk of camp, such as cornerback Brandon McGee, linebacker Korey Toomer, defensive tackle Doug Worthington, and tight end Brad Smelley, also would seem to be susceptible, though they likely have a better chance of at least sticking on the practice squad than the players listed above do. Quarterback Austin Davis might also be a potential casualty if the Rams want to get rookie Sean Mannion extended action in the final game, and former Purple Heart winner Daniel Rodriguez would also be an easy cut, though the coaching staff seems to really admire him and may even consider him as a practice squad candidate going forward.
  • Speaking of practice squad candidates, the harsh reality of the situation is that the Rams are going to have to find a good number of outside players to fill those roles if they want to have competitive depth. This roster is very easy to cut to 53, and there aren’t even 10 extra players on the roster who make sense as practice squad guys.

Next: Rams vs. Colts: Postgame Review

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