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The Los Angeles Rams have entered the next phase of their prep for the regular season, wrapping up training camp last week and moving back to Woodland Hills. This week's work will include a joint practice with the Dallas Cowboys on Tuesday and a preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday afternoon.
Coming out of training camp, the roster picture is becoming clearer, but several spots are still up for grabs. The Rams have yet to release their first unofficial depth chart of the season but we put together our best projection for how each position looks.
Stetson Bennett has a clear lead on Ty Simpson at backup quarterback, CJ Daniels has emerged as the WR6 (at worst), and Cam Lampkin is making a push for a spot on the 53-man roster.
Sean McVay gave a strong indication that Bennett is ahead of Simpson when he said the rookie will "definitely" play in the preseason, but he's not so sure about Bennett. Assuming Bennett sits out the preseason, he'll enter the year as the No. 2 quarterback behind Stafford.
Everyone is waiting for Hunter to make a move and establish himself as a weapon on offense, but there wasn't much said about him during camp so he could still be behind Rivers at running back. The Rams will likely keep either three or four backs, so Rivers and Hunter could have work to do.
There's a logjam at WR3 with Whittington, Mumpfield and even Smith. Whittington and Mumpfield appear to be the frontrunners for that job, bringing different skill sets to the position, but Smith is a speedster and Daniels has impressed in practice. Considering the Rams are likely to keep six receivers, the other four players are likely on the chopping block – though Edwards and Scott have made some plays this summer.
Offensive coordinator Nate Scheelhaase said he doesn't expect one tight end to emerge ahead of the rest this season, preferring a committee because of how dynamic this group is. All of the top five tight ends should make the team and contribute, with the depth players getting cut.
The Rams are going to keep at least nine linemen, likely even 10 if Jackson faces a suspension for his offseason arrest. We know Quessenberry is the swing tackle because he got the snaps when Jackson missed practice, so his spot should be safe. Trost's best position is still to be determined, while Dedich remains on the non-football injury list for an at-home injury to his hand.
The three starters and Davis are certainly safe, but Hamilton, Murchison and Keenan could be fighting for one or two roster spots. That makes the preseason critical for all three of them. It's possible they'll all make the team but that would be a lot of D-line depth, especially if Aaron Donald returns.
This is a fascinating group because Johnson is playing well after transitioning to edge rusher last season, and both Thomas and Bailey have gotten first-team reps in practice, as has Johnson. Bailey still has work to do if he wants to make the team but he's at least getting attention from the coaching staff, which is a good sign.
Stuard could wind up being more than just a special teams player for the Rams, potentially carving out a role as a backup linebacker. But as of now, Landman and Speights are clearly the top two guys at the position, followed by Dolac.
With all the versatility in the secondary, the Rams have a lot of options. McDuffie, Watson and Forbes are the top true cornerbacks, with Lake and Wallace being best in the slot. If the Rams feel they need more outside depth, Lampkin could make the team. He shined in training camp and should play well in the preseason, making a strong push for a roster spot.
The Rams really have five safeties who should make the team with Lake and Wallace able to play that position, along with Curl, Kinchens and McCollough. Ingle has special teams value, which could secure him a spot on the roster.
Mevis, Evans and Cardona are locked in. It's unlikely the Rams will keep a true return specialist on the roster who wouldn't otherwise make the team. That leaves Whittington and Corum as the top kick returners, and Smith and Williams as the punt returners (for now).
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Projecting Rams' depth chart after training camp
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Coming out of training camp, the roster picture is becoming clearer, but several spots are still up for grabs. The Rams have yet to release their first unofficial depth chart of the season but we put together our best projection for how each position looks.
Stetson Bennett has a clear lead on Ty Simpson at backup quarterback, CJ Daniels has emerged as the WR6 (at worst), and Cam Lampkin is making a push for a spot on the 53-man roster.
Quarterback
- QB1: Matthew Stafford
- QB2: Stetson Bennett
- QB3: Ty Simpson
- Depth: Matthew Caldwell
Sean McVay gave a strong indication that Bennett is ahead of Simpson when he said the rookie will "definitely" play in the preseason, but he's not so sure about Bennett. Assuming Bennett sits out the preseason, he'll enter the year as the No. 2 quarterback behind Stafford.
Running back
- RB1: Kyren Williams
- RB2: Blake Corum
- RB3: Ronnie Rivers
- RB4: Jarquez Hunter
- Depth: Jordan Waters, Dean Connors
Everyone is waiting for Hunter to make a move and establish himself as a weapon on offense, but there wasn't much said about him during camp so he could still be behind Rivers at running back. The Rams will likely keep either three or four backs, so Rivers and Hunter could have work to do.
Wide receiver
- WR1: Puka Nacua
- WR2: Davante Adams
- WR3: Jordan Whittington
- WR4: Konata Mumpfield
- WR5: Xavier Smith
- WR6: CJ Daniels
- Depth: Mario Williams, Tyler Scott, Tru Edwards, Brennan Presley
There's a logjam at WR3 with Whittington, Mumpfield and even Smith. Whittington and Mumpfield appear to be the frontrunners for that job, bringing different skill sets to the position, but Smith is a speedster and Daniels has impressed in practice. Considering the Rams are likely to keep six receivers, the other four players are likely on the chopping block – though Edwards and Scott have made some plays this summer.
Tight end
- TE1: Colby Parkinson
- TE2: Tyler Higbee
- TE3: Terrance Ferguson
- TE4: Davis Allen
- TE5: Max Klare
- Depth: Mark Redman, Rohan Jones, Dan Villari
Offensive coordinator Nate Scheelhaase said he doesn't expect one tight end to emerge ahead of the rest this season, preferring a committee because of how dynamic this group is. All of the top five tight ends should make the team and contribute, with the depth players getting cut.
Offensive line
- LT: Alaric Jackson, David Quessenberry, A.J. Arcuri
- LG: Steve Avila, Beaux Limmer, Wyatt Bowles, Bill Murray
- C: Coleman Shelton, Dylan McMahon, Austin Blaske
- RG: Kevin Dotson, Justin Dedich,
- RT: Warren McClendon Jr., Keagen Trost, Bryce Henderson
The Rams are going to keep at least nine linemen, likely even 10 if Jackson faces a suspension for his offseason arrest. We know Quessenberry is the swing tackle because he got the snaps when Jackson missed practice, so his spot should be safe. Trost's best position is still to be determined, while Dedich remains on the non-football injury list for an at-home injury to his hand.
Defensive line
- DT: Kobie Turner, Larrell Murchison, Jaxson Moi,
- NT: Poona Ford, Tyler Davis, Tim Keenan III, Bill Norton
- DE: Braden Fiske, Ty Hamilton, Payton Zdroik
The three starters and Davis are certainly safe, but Hamilton, Murchison and Keenan could be fighting for one or two roster spots. That makes the preseason critical for all three of them. It's possible they'll all make the team but that would be a lot of D-line depth, especially if Aaron Donald returns.
Outside linebacker
- OLB1: Myles Garrett
- OLB2: Byron Young
- OLB3: Josaiah Stewart
- OLB4: Desjuan Johnson
- OLB5: Keir Thomas
- Depth: Wesley Bailey, Tomon Fox, Daniel Rickert, Darryl Peterson III
This is a fascinating group because Johnson is playing well after transitioning to edge rusher last season, and both Thomas and Bailey have gotten first-team reps in practice, as has Johnson. Bailey still has work to do if he wants to make the team but he's at least getting attention from the coaching staff, which is a good sign.
Inside linebacker
- ILB1: Nate Landman
- ILB2: Omar Speights
- ILB3: Shaun Dolac
- ST: Grant Stuard
- Depth: Elias Neal, Nikhai Hill-Green
Stuard could wind up being more than just a special teams player for the Rams, potentially carving out a role as a backup linebacker. But as of now, Landman and Speights are clearly the top two guys at the position, followed by Dolac.
Cornerback
- CB1: Trent McDuffie
- CB2: Jaylen Watson
- CB3/slot: Quentin Lake
- CB4: Emmanuel Forbes Jr.
- CB5/slot: Josh Wallace
- Depth: Cam Lampkin, Alex Johnson, Nyzier Fourqurean, Al'Zillion Hamilton, Zech McPhearson
With all the versatility in the secondary, the Rams have a lot of options. McDuffie, Watson and Forbes are the top true cornerbacks, with Lake and Wallace being best in the slot. If the Rams feel they need more outside depth, Lampkin could make the team. He shined in training camp and should play well in the preseason, making a strong push for a roster spot.
Safety
- SS: Kam Curl, Jaylen McCollough
- FS: Kamren Kinchens
- Depth: Tanner Ingle, Nate Valcarcel, Nick Andersen, Alex Cook
The Rams really have five safeties who should make the team with Lake and Wallace able to play that position, along with Curl, Kinchens and McCollough. Ingle has special teams value, which could secure him a spot on the roster.
Special teams
- K Harrison Mevis
- P Ethan Evans
- LS Joe Cardona
- KR: Jordan Whittington, Blake Corum
- PR: Xavier Smith, Kyren Williams
Mevis, Evans and Cardona are locked in. It's unlikely the Rams will keep a true return specialist on the roster who wouldn't otherwise make the team. That leaves Whittington and Corum as the top kick returners, and Smith and Williams as the punt returners (for now).
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Projecting Rams' depth chart after training camp
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