53-man roster prediction | How off was I?

Last week I published a special edition episode of Rams Showcase to make my prediction for the final 53-man roster. This prediction came before the Rams took the field in Denver for the final preseason game.

I’m not sure exactly how much of my predictions would have changed before and after that game, but today we are going to take a look at my picks (that can be confirmed in the podcast) and see exactly how well I did.

*Will Continue Updating as cuts become official*

KEY:

Bold = Made Final 53, Joe Bags was right

Bold & Italics = Made Final 53, Joe Bags was wrong

Italics = Did not make final 53, Joe Bags was right

Italics strikethrough = Did not make final 53, Joe Bags was wrong

Quarterback (2)

Stay: Matthew Stafford, Stetson Bennett IV

Cut: Brett Rypien, Dresser Winn

NOTES:

Stetson Bennett has plenty of things he needs to work on, but he’s only gotten three games of preseason in for NFL experience. I’m really far from being worried about this especially considering he is also a back up. It’s only important for him to be able to do it this year if something happens to Matthew Stafford, but let’s not count our injuries before they even happen, because they may not. If the Rams keep more than three, I’m not even sure that third is Brett Rypien.

Running back (4)

Stay: Cam Akers, Kyren Williams, Zach Evans, Royce Freeman

Cut: Ronnie Rivers, Tiyon Evans

NOTES:

Keeping four backs here makes sense to me even if we have one of these guys inactive on game day. I really like the run style on Ronnie Rivers and I think he does have what it takes to make the roster, but at some point it becomes a numbers game and you can’t keep everyone.

Tight End (3)

Stay: Tyler Higbee, Davis Allen, Hunter Long

Cut: Brycen Hopkins, Nikola Kalinic, Camren McDonald, Christian Sims

NOTES:

I picked three here before Denver, but something tells me the Rams really could keep four. My prediction included the Rams running one back, one tight end, and three wide receivers a lot, but the Rams and McVay have been involving multiple tight end sets, so keeping an extra here is very realistic.

Wide Receiver (7)

Stay: Cooper Kupp, Van Jefferson, Tutu Atwell, Puka Nacua, Ben Skowronek, Tyler Johnson, Demarcus Robinson

Cut: Braxton Burmeister, Tyler Hudson, Xavier Smith, Austin Trammell, Lance McCutcheon

NOTES:

Another position that has casualties due to just not having enough spots for everyone you like. The guys I have making the team make total sense to me, although I would really like to see Xavier Smith stick around even if it’s just on the practice squad.

Offensive Line (9)

Stay: Rob Havenstein, Steve Avila, AJ Jackson, Coleman Shelton, Joe Noteboom, Brian Allen, Warren McClendon, Tremayne Anchrum, AJ Arcuri

Cut: Logan Bruss, Sean Maginn, Mike Mcallister, Grant Miller, Zach Thomas

NOTES:

I’m not very confident on this front and we might see some more surprises in this group. This list is also made before the trade for Kevin Dotson so if I were forced to swap him out for someone on the list, I’d say Arcuri, but again, my confidence is pretty low here and I wish Wendell and the rest of the coaches luck when making these decisions.

Defensive Line (7)

Stay: Aaron Donald, Bobby Brown, Kobie Turner, Marquise Copeland, Jonah Williams, Earnest Brown, Larrell Murchison

Cut: TJ Carter, Desjuan Johnson, Taron Vincent

NOTES:

The Rams like to run a lot of rotation in this spot and it helps keep the entire unit more fresh late into the second half. There’s a lot of talent in this group and I want to point out that I think it’s awesome that someone in Denver mistook Jonah Williams for Cooper Kupp.

Inside Linebacker (4)

Stay: Ernest Jones, Christian Rozeboom, Deandre Square, Jake Hummel

Cut: Kelechi Anyalebechi, Ryan Smenda, Jaiden Woodbey

NOTES:

The Rams could load this group a little deeper when you consider that a lot of names here can contribute on special teams. Jones and Rozeboom will be your week one starters here, but there are still questions as far as the depth.

Outside Linebacker (4)

Stay: Byron Young, Michael Hoecht, Keir Thomas, Daniel Hardy

Cut: Nick Hampton, Ochaun Mathis, Zach VanValkenburg

NOTES:

It wouldn’t surprise me one bit to see the Rams keep more than 4 here. The reason I did was to selfishly keep more safeties. I have two drafted rookies being cut here, and I’m not sure how confident I am in that.

Safety (5)

Stay: Jordan Fuller, John Johnson III, Quentin Lake, Russ Yeast, Jason Taylor II

Cut: Tanner Ingle, Rashad Torrence, Tyon Davis, Quindell Johnson

NOTES:

These five safeties would be awesome to keep together. I’m not fully convinced that it happens, but I’m hopeful.

Cornerback (5)

Stay: Cobie Durant, Derion Kendrick, Tre Tomlinson, Robert Rochell, Ahkello Witherspoon

Cut: Timarcus Davis, Vincent Gray, Shaun Jolly, Jordan Jones, Cameron McCutcheon

NOTES:

This position group is pretty difficult to assess as well. There’s a lot of talent in this group, albeit raw talent. There seems to be some solidity in the top end of this group but the further down the depth chart you go, the closer the talent levels. Some hard decisions to make here.

Special Teams (3)

Stay: K Tanner Brown, P Ethan Evans, LS Alex Ward

NOTES:

There are no cuts needed in this group as we’ve already shed the extra numbers here. I think it’s worth noting that Brown did have some preseason struggles, but I’m hesitant to put it all on him considering the entire field goal mechanism is new and there are a lot of moving pieces there. Ethan Evans is holding for the first time, maybe he’s doing something Brown isn’t used to yet. Maybe the timing from the snap to getting the ball down is a little off. Either way, it’s now time for it to come together. This is a group that could be important to watch if the Rams do decide to make any quick changes before the real thing begins.