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Instant analysis of every position group on Rams’ 53-man roster

cameron dasilva
·4 min read
5

The Los Angeles Rams have set their initial 53-man roster for the 2022 season, a collection of players that will change dozens of times over the next few months. There are quite a few new faces compared to last year’s team, both offseason additions and undrafted rookies who made the 53-man roster.

Now that the first edition of the regular-season roster is set, let’s go position by position and break down each group.

Quarterback (3)

(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

  1. Matthew Stafford

  2. John Wolford

  3. Bryce Perkins

The Rams wound up keeping three quarterbacks for the second year in a row, carrying Wolford and Perkins as Stafford’s backups. It would’ve been more surprising if the Rams cut one of the two backups, knowing they likely would not make it through waivers. They clearly value Perkins a great deal, even if it’s primarily as a scout team quarterback ahead of games with mobile quarterbacks.

Running back (4)

(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

  1. Cam Akers

  2. Darrell Henderson Jr.

  3. Kyren Williams

  4. Jake Funk

Trey Ragas missed the cut as the Rams expectedly kept four running backs. Ragas could land back on the practice squad as a depth piece in the event of injury, given the history of Akers and Henderson. Williams is likely to be RB3 when fully healthy.

Wide receiver (7)

(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

  1. Cooper Kupp

  2. Allen Robinson

  3. Van Jefferson

  4. Ben Skowronek

  5. Tutu Atwell

  6. Brandon Powell

  7. Lance McCutcheon

The Rams decided not to keep eight receivers, cutting Jacob Harris on Tuesday. That’s largely due to the emergence of McCutcheon, who led the NFL in receiving yards this preseason. Even if McCutcheon doesn’t play much as a rookie, if at all, the Rams couldn’t risk losing him to waivers. He has a bright future.

Tight end (2)

(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

  1. Tyler Higbee

  2. Brycen Hopkins

The Rams went very thin at tight end, waiving Roger Carter Jr. and Jared Pinkney. At least one of them will hopefully land on the practice squad because the Rams need depth at this position – and badly. It’s slightly concerning going into the season with only two tight ends, especially knowing Higbee’s injury history.

Offensive line (8)

(AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

  1. Joe Noteboom

  2. David Edwards

  3. Brian Allen

  4. Coleman Shelton

  5. Rob Havenstein

  6. Tremayne Anchrum Jr.

  7. A.J. Jackson

  8. Bobby Evans

It winds up being Evans over A.J. Arcuri for one of the final spots on the offensive line. Arcuri is the only Rams draft pick who didn’t make the 53-man roster, aside from the injured Logan Bruss. Bruss was placed on IR and will miss the entire 2022 season. Jackson should be the swing tackle, with Anchrum operating as a backup guard. Shelton would be the backup center if Allen gets hurt.

Defensive line (6)

(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

  1. Aaron Donald

  2. Greg Gaines

  3. A’Shawn Robinson

  4. Marquise Copeland

  5. Michael Hoecht

  6. Jonah Williams

We knew the top four were locked in after they all sat out the preseason, but it wasn’t clear if Hoecht and Williams would make it. It’s great to see that they have because they both earned the opportunity to contribute this season – especially Williams after his standout preseason performance.

Inside linebacker (4)

(AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)

  1. Bobby Wagner

  2. Ernest Jones

  3. Christian Rozeboom

  4. Jake Hummel

Hummel sticks on as the fourth linebacker, in part thanks to his special teams ability. Rozeboom will be the immediate backup to Wagner and Jones and should be active on game days, but it’ll be the two starters getting almost every snap on defense this year when healthy.

Outside linebacker (5)

(AP Photo/Gail Burton)

  1. Leonard Floyd

  2. Justin Hollins

  3. Terrell Lewis

  4. Keir Thomas

  5. Daniel Hardy

Thomas beat out Chris Garrett for a roster spot at outside linebacker, a minor surprise but not a huge shock. Thomas impressed in the preseason, particularly in the finale against the Bengals. Daniel Hardy was hurt at the end of the preseason, but he made the 53-man roster and could presumably land on injured reserve.

Cornerback (6)

  1. Jalen Ramsey

  2. Troy Hill

  3. David Long Jr.

  4. Robert Rochell

  5. Decobie Durant

  6. Derion Kendrick

This is a promising group led by Ramsey and Hill. Long and Rochell both have experience as starters, and Durant and Kendrick looked as good as advertised in the preseason. It’s reasonable to think all six of these corners will play meaningful snaps at some point this season.

Safety (5)

(AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)

  1. Jordan Fuller

  2. Nick Scott

  3. Taylor Rapp

  4. Terrell Burgess

  5. Russ Yeast

Quentin Lake was placed on the reserve/PUP list, meaning he’ll miss the first four games of the regular season. That helped clear a spot for Yeast, though he did earn it with impressive play in the preseason. Yeast is a missile in the secondary and can definitely help on special teams.

Specialists (3)

(AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

  1. K Matt Gay

  2. P Riley Dixon

  3. LS Matthew Orzech

Ever since the Rams cut Cameron Dicker, the group of specialists has been locked in. There’s been no competition anywhere within this group, and it seems likely that Brandon Powell will handle both kickoff and punt return duties.

Story originally appeared on Rams Wire