L.A. Rams select youthful, but mature players for initial, 53-man roster
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- As Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay alluded to when talking to reporters after completing his team’s initial, 53-man roster on Saturday, it’s written in pencil, not pen.
“It’s a constant evaluation,” McVay. “I think the one thing that you guys know that maybe a lot of people don’t, is that with this 53, it’s not like your roster is set and this is what it is for the entire year.
“You see a lot of flexibility towards the bottom half of the roster, especially with (special) teams, injuries and different things like that.”
Case in point: defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson has to remain on the active roster until Tuesday, when the Rams can officially place him on the reserve/non-football injury list at the start of the regular season.
So, the Rams essentially have 52 players on the roster and could add one from the practice squad or claim someone from waivers once Robinson is moved off the active roster.
McVay acknowledged this year’s roster was an attempt to get younger. Besides specialists in punter Johnny Hekker (30) and long snapper Jake McQuaide (32), the only player over 30 years old is left tackle Andrew Whitworth (38).
The Rams average 25.1 years of age this season, which would make them among the youngest rosters in the NFL in 2020. According to Jimmy Kempski of PhillyVoice.com the Rams averaged 25.6 years of age after final roster cuts last season, No. 10 in the NFL.
Per Kempski, the Rams are No. 3 in the league this season.
“We’ve got some guys that are younger players, but they are mature football players, even though they might be younger,” McVay said. “We want to have smart, good football players that do the right thing. And we do have a good mix.”
Teams can have 16 players on the practice squad, including up to six veterans with unlimited experience on practice squads, creating more versatility in case a player on the active roster tests positive for COVID-19.
Along with that, teams can now bring back an unlimited amount of players from injured reserve, as long as they have missed at least three regular season games -- which means the Rams could stash a player or two dealing with nagging injuries to start the season on IR, with a chance to bring them back at some point during the season.
Here’s the full list:
Quarterback (2): Starter – Jared Goff. Reserves – John Wolford.
Comment: McVay said the Rams would try and bring back rookie Bryce Perkins to the practice squad if he clears waivers. He also praised Wolford and likes his ability to lead the offense if Goff gets dinged up.
Running back (4): Starter – Malcolm Brown. Reserves – Cam Akers, Darrell Henderson Jr., Xavier Jones.
Comment: Still a possibility that Henderson (hamstring) is healthy enough to play
Tight end (4): Starter – Tyler Higbee. Reserves – Gerald Everett, Brycen Hopkins, Johnny Mundt.
Comment: Solid depth here overall, with the expectation the Rams will run more two tight-end sets this season.
Wide receivers (6): Starters – Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp, Josh Reynolds. Reserves –Van Jefferson, Nsimba Webster, Trishton Jackson.
Comment: The fact that they kept six receivers leads you to believe three-receiver sets will continue to be McVay’s base formation.
Offensive line (10): Starters -- LT, Andrew Whitworth, LG, Joe Noteboom, C Austin Blythe, RG, Austin Corbett, RT, Rob Havenstein. Reserves -- C/G Brian Allen, G David Edwards, G/T Bobby Evans, T Tremayne Anchrum Jr., T Coleman Shelton.
Comment: Makes sense to keep some extra depth around because competent offensive linemen that know your scheme are hard to find as you get later into the season.
Defensive line (7): Starters -- Aaron Donald, Michael Brockers, Sebastian Joseph-Day. Reserves -- Greg Gaines, Morgan Fox, Eric Banks, A’Shawn Robinson (active/non-football injury list).
Comment: Robinson has to be on the initial, 53-man roster before the team can move him to the reserve/Non-football injury list to start Week 1 of the NFL season. Robinson, who’s dealing with an unspecified health issue, would have to miss at least the first six games of the season before coming off the list.
Outside linebacker (5): Starters --Samson Ebukam, Leonard Floyd. Reserves --Terrell Lewis, Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, Jachai Polite
Comment: McVay said the Rams won’t have clarity on Lewis’ knee issue until Wednesday, and he’s been ruled out of Sunday’s season opener against the Cowboys.
Inside linebacker (3): Starters -- Micah Kiser, Kenny Young. Reserves -- Troy Reeder.
Comment: The Rams could look to add another inside linebacker to the active roster next week for depth.
Cornerback (4): Starters -- Jalen Ramsey, Darious Williams. Nickel -- Troy Hill. Reserves: David Long, Jr..
Comment: Again, like inside linebacker the Rams might want to add another guy who can cover and play special teams.
Safety (5): Starters -- John Johnson III, Taylor Rapp. Reserves -- Jordan Fuller, Terrell Burgess, Nick Scott.
Comment: Rapp’s injury allowed rookies Fuller and Burgess to show what they can do.
Specialists (3): Johnny Hekker, Jack McQuaide, Sam Sloman
Comment: McVay said Sloman has been consistent throughout camp, showing good mental toughness and leg strength.
