Rams post-NFL Draft depth chart: Where are the best offseason position battles?

What does the Rams depth chart look like post-draft as we head into the summer?

The NFL offseason is never over for Los Angeles Rams general manager Les Snead until the trade deadline in the middle of the season. With that said, the avenues for adding players and the primary parts of the offseason are over. The Rams could always make a trade or potentially add another veteran, but most of the roster that we’ll see in training camp is set.

Here is an updated look at the Rams’ depth chart after the draft, with some potential training camp battles to keep an eye on this summer.

Quarterback

Starter: Matthew Stafford

Backups: Jimmy Garoppolo, Stetson Bennett

Longshot: Dresser Winn

Coming into the offseason, some may have expected the Rams to be in the market for a quarterback during the draft. Even after Stetson Bennett returned to the team, it would not have been a surprise for them to take a young quarterback that didn’t just leave the team for an entire year. However, the signing of Jimmy Garoppolo in free agency gave the team some veteran insurance at the position.

Pro Football Network recently ranked the NFL’s backup quarterbacks and Garoppolo came in fourth. Said PFN’s Dallas Robinson,

“Jimmy Garoppolo must serve a two-game PED suspension before officially becoming the Rams’ backup quarterback, but he’ll give Los Angeles valuable depth behind Matthew Stafford. Garoppolo has dealt with his fair share of injuries, but he’s already familiar with Sean McVay’s offense and should be ready to back up Stafford once his ban concludes.”

The bar was low with Brett Rypien as the standard, but the quarterback position behind Matthew Stafford is much better than it was a year ago.

Running Back

Starter: Kyren Williams

Backups: Blake Corum, Ronnie Rivers

Roster Bubble: Boston Scott, Zach Evans

The Rams drafting Blake Corum and then signing Boston Scott should tell you everything you need to know on what the team thinks of Zach Evans. A year ago Evans was considered one of the best steals of the draft. Fast forward after the 2024 draft and the Rams drafted another running back in the third round and signed another free agent in Boston Scott. In between that was a period in which the Rams needed a running back and instead of opting to ride Evans, they signed Darrell Henderson off the street and rolled with Royce Freeman.

It wouldn’t be a surprise if Evans made the roster. With that said, he’s likely on the bubble and will need to show value on special teams if he’s going to make the final-53.

Wide Receiver

Starters: Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua, Demarcus Robinson

Backups: TuTu Atwell, Ben Skowronek, Jordan Whittington

Roster Bubble: Tyler Johnson, Xavier Smith, Austin Trammel, Drake Stoops

Long Shots: JJ Laap, Sam Wiglusz

It’s going to be interesting to see if this is another year in which the Rams opt to keep seven wide receivers simply because of the depth that they have at the position. By drafting Jordan Whittington, there isn’t a lot of room for someone like Tyler Johnson or Xavier Smith to sneak onto the roster. It was a little surprising the Rams didn’t draft a wide receiver earlier than the sixth round. All of the players on the bubble will be trying to prove that it is worth rostering a seventh receiver. Still, that feels like a long shot. Demarcus Robinson is back and TuTu Atwell will be looking to build on last year. Skowronek and Whittington should provide value on special teams.

Tight End

Starters: Tyler Higbee, Colby Parkinson

Backups: Davis Allen

Roster Bubble: Hunter Long

Longshots: Miller Forristall, Nikola Kalinic, Neal Johnson

Coming off of a torn ACL, it’s very possible that Tyler Higbee is forced to miss the beginning portion of the season. With that in mind, the Rams signed Colby Parkinson in free agency and Davis Allen will be looking to take a step in year two. Allen showed some promised despite limited action as a rookie. The Rams acquired for Hunter Long in the Jalen Ramsey trade. Long spent the beginning of last season hurt, showed some upside as a blocker when he returned, and then got injured again. Parkinson and Long’s skillsets overlap, meaning that the former Miami Dolphins tight end doesn’t have a guaranteed roster spot.

Offensive Line

Starters: LT Alaric Jackson, LG Jonah Jackson, C Steve Avila, RG Kevin Dotson, RT Rob Havenstein

Backups: OT Joe Noteboom, iOL KT Leveston, iOL Beaux Limmer, OT Warren McClendon

Roster Bubble: OT Logan Bruss, OT AJ Arcuri

Long Shots: OT Zach Thomas, OT Blake Larson, C Mike McAllister, C Justin Dedich, iOL Grant Miller

While there isn’t a lot of room for players to snead onto the roster on the offensive line, there may be one open spot available if there is a player that proves to be valuable as depth across multiple spots. It will be very interesting to see Logan Bruss this offseason. As a former third-round pick, he was cut last year and spent the season on the practice squad. How much did that help his development? The top nine is a solid nine. This looks to be the most depth that the Rams have had on the offensive line in quite some time. Still, there could be a tenth spot open and both Bruss and Arcuri will be players to watch.

Defensive Line

Starters: Michael Hoecht, Kobie Turner, Braden Fiske

Backups: Bobby Brown III, Tyler Davis, Larrell Murchison, Desjuan Johnson

Long Shots: Anthony Goodlow, Cory Durden, David Olajiga, Tuli Letuligasenoa

After seeing how the Rams approached the draft, selecting Brennan Jackson at EDGE on day three, I do think there is a strong possibility that Michael Hoecht will return back to the defensive line which is his more natural position. With the addition of Jared Verse and Jackson, the Rams should have the personnel and depth at the position where Hoecht can go back to the defensive line and maybe play on the edge in specific packages.

There will be a lot of rotation with the group, especially with Braden Fiske, Bobby Brown, and Desjuan Johnson. One long shot to keep an eye on here will be Anthony Goodlow. We’ll have to see how he performs in the preseason, but he could work his way onto the roster bubble and even find a spot on the roster.

Linebacker

Starters: Ernest Jones, Christian Rozeboom

Roster Bubble: Jake Hummel, Troy Reeder, Omar Speights

Long Shots: Olakunie Fatukasi, Elias Neal

The linebacker position might be one of the more interesting spots on the roster. Jones and Rozeboom are the only sure things and even Rozeboom was a later signing. While it shouldn’t have been expected for the Rams to draft a linebacker early, it was very surprising that they didn’t select one at all.

Behind Jones and Rozeboom, everything here is up for grabs. Hummel and Reeder will be the favorites, but a player like Speights could certainly make a case with a good training camp and preseason. This is going to be a fun position to watch this offseason.

EDGE

Starters: Byron Young, Jared Verse

Backups: Nick Hampton, Brennan Jackson, Ochaun Mathis

Long Shots: Zach VanValkenburg, Keir Thomas

With the addition of Jared Verse, the Rams immediately got better at the edge rusher position. During his rookie campaign, it wouldn’t be surprising if the numbers aren’t quite there, but we see strong flashes of Verse’s impact. Verse and Young should be able to complement each other well. Add some speed with Hampton and Mathis who will hopefully take a jump in year two and this group doesn’t look too shabby.

Still, even with the addition of Verse, this is a position where I could see Les Snead still make a move before the trade deadline. There were rumblings that Trey Hendrickson demanded a trade from the Cincinnati Bengals and there could be other names that arise during the season. If the Rams are in a competitive spot and feel another move at edge rusher could get them over the top, Snead won’t hesitate.

Cornerback

Starters: Tre White, Darious Williams

Backups: Cobie Durant, Derion Kendrick, Tre Tomlinson

Long Shots: Cameron McCutcheon, Shaun Jolly, Cam Lampkin, Josh Wallace, Charles Woods

Despite Ahkello Witherspoon still being available, the Rams likely won’t be adding any more veteran players at cornerback this offseason. Tre White and Darious Williams give the defense some much needed experience on the outside and players you can be confident in. It’s hard not to feel better about this position group compared to a year ago. White and Williams give them a veteran presence and stability while Durant and Kendrick are experienced depth. Kendrick may not be a full-time NFL starter, but in smaller doses he played well last season.

The fact is, Kendrick was put in an unfair position last year. His chances of success in that situation as a late-round draft pick were very slim. Now he moves to a depth and rotational piece where he can’t be picked on as much. It will be interesting to see what the Rams do behind their top four. Tre Tomlinson had a good preseason, but didn’t get much action once the regular season began. Could Cameron McCutcheon, Shaun Jolly, or even Cam Lampkin make a push to find a spot on the roster?

Safety

Starters: Kam Curl, Quentin Lake

Backups: Kamren Kinchens, Russ Yeast

On the Bubble: Jason Taylor III, Tanner Ingle

Long Shots: Kenny Logan, Jaylen McCollough

As always, the safety position on the Rams roster remains competitive. There is a solid top three in Curl, Lake, and Kinchens. Yeast has starting experience and will likely make the final-53. Would the Rams keep a fifth? The potential last safety spot is where things get really competitive. The Rams drafted Taylor last year and Ingle had a great preseason while spending 2023 on the practice squad. Kenny Logan was a good undrafted free agent pickup as well. What the Rams end up doing