Darian Stewart

Darina Stewart is in his 4th season and he is the veteran safety on the team. Stewart doesn’t have a lot of starting experience and yet he will be one of the Rams starting safeties this season. It has been said that the Rams have one of the weaker safety groups in the league, and although that may be true, Stewart needs to step up and prove otherwise. Stewart needs to be able to be reliable in coverage and not be afraid of coming up to the line to make a tackle. Steware may be the key to the Rams secondary this season.

Alec Ogletree

Ogletree will only be a rookie, but his role on the defense is important. With the Seahawks and 49ers having speedy quarterbacks that are willing to run the ball, and having running backs that are capable of making plays on the outside, Ogletree needs to be able to put a stop to it, and be a difference maker on defense. Ogletree has had a history of off the field issues, so he needs to be able to step up and stay out of trouble as well as silence his critics in that regard. Ogletree could turn out to be one of the Rams premier defensive players.

Trumaine Johnson

The Rams got rid of Bradley Fletcher in free agency who was underrated and was a solid CB for the Rams the last couple of seasons. Now that Fletcher is gone, Johnson will be expected to take over that nickleback spot. Johnson played there a lot last season, but Johnson still has something to prove. Johnson also needs to come out strong because of his off the field issues this summer. Johnson has been suspended for receiving a DUI earlier, Johnson needs to put that behind him and come out strong.

Honorable Mention

T.J. McDonald is a rookie that the Rams have put a lot of faith in. The Rams are empty at the safety position and have put McDonald and Steward in charge of it. McDonald will have to get up to NFL speed quick in order to not be a liability to the defense.

The Rams defense is pretty solid to say the least and there aren’t a lot of players that need to step up in order for the Rams to be successful as there was on offense. You can expect Brockers, Laurenaitis, Long, Quinn, Jenkins, and Finnegan will all play well anyway and don’t have to step up so to speak. These are the players that need to step up in order for the Rams to take the next step.

Roger Saffold

Roger Saffold is entering the last year of his rookie contract this season. It has been rumored that Saffold is not pleased with the signing of Jake Long who will be taking over at left tackle. The Rams have the best offensive line that they have had in years, and it is important that Saffold play well to help keep Sam Bradford upright. Saffold also needs to prove that he can stay healthy. After starting every game his rookie season, Saffold played nine games in 2011 and ten games last season. A good offensive line has continuity, and if Saffold is on and off the field due to injury, that continuity would be lost. Saffold is also entering the last year of his contract, therefore if he wants to make a lot of money next season, he needs to perform well. Saffold has been a solid player so far in his career. Last season Saffold only had eight penalties for 50 yards. He had four false starts and two holding penalties. Saffold also only gave up 2.5 sacks last season for a loss of 5.5 yards total.

Sam Bradford

This one is pretty obvious. In order for the Rams to succeed, Bradford needs to play on top of his game. With the departure of Steven Jackson, this is now Sam Bradford’s team, and the team will only go as far as Sam Bradford takes them. Sam Bradford doesn’t necessarily have to throw for 4,000+ yards and 30TD, even though that would be nice, but Sam does need to come up big in big moments and be the leader of this team. There were too many times last season when the offense couldn’t generate anything for a sustainable amount of time, the offense needs to help out the defense and sustain longer drives and come up with points. Sam Bradford now has decent weapons in Givens, Austin, Cook, and Quick, it is time that Bradford produces. Bradford may just be the quarterback with the most pressure this season.

Brian Quick

Brian Quick is a third player that needs to step up this season. The Rams lost two of their best receivers last season in Amendola and Gibson. The Rams front office has put a lot of faith in Givens and Quick to carry the load at wide receiver. Quick needs to prove that he has developed, and can be the Rams number two or maybe even number one receiver. Everybody knows Quick has the capability of doing something special and he can make plays, it is time for Quick to go out and prove it.

Honorable Mentions

 Greg Zurlein is more special teams than offense, but he scores points, so we’ll put him in the offense category. Zurlein  needs to step up this season.He had a good rookie season going 23/31 and making seven 50+ yard field goals. However, while Zurlein went 14/17 on turf, he went 8/14  on grass/outdoor stadiums. The Rams play a lot of close games, and they are bound to play a lot of close ones this season. Zurlein could play a major key in the Rams success.

Tavon Austin also needs to play well. This is putting a lot on a rookie, but the Rams have been searching for a weapon for a long time, and they see Austin as being that. The Rams lost Danny Amendola in free agency, and although Amendola was hurt a lot, the Rams had a better record with him on the field. Austin needs to prove his critics wrong and prove his size is a non issue and be Sam’s security blanket underneath.

Last but not least, Jared Cook needs to play well. Cook is another weapon the Rams went to get. Cook needs to be a Rob Gronkowski/ Aaron Hernandez for the Rams. Cook has to make plays down the field for the Rams in order to open things up for Tavon Austin. Cook could play a major role in the Rams success this season.

Daryl Richardson/Isaiah Pead. Zac Stacy, whoever is starting at running back, needs to step up this season as they are filling the shoes of one of the all time greats. There is no way that any of these guys will be able to do what Jackson did, but they need to prove that they can carry the load, and back up the front office’s decision to let Steven Jackson walk.

I named over half the offense there, but all of these players are key to the Rams success this season, and it is important that these players step up and put up the numbers that they are capable of. The Rams are on the verge of a breakthrough and if these players step up, the Rams will no longer be on the verge, but will have completely broken through and will be a contender come December.

After passing on Eddie Lacy in the first round, the Rams waited until the 5th round to get their running back, Zac Stacy out of Vanderbilt. The Rams traded both of their sixth round picks away in order to get Stacy. Snead and Fisher obviously saw something in this kid that a lot of people didn’t. Zac Stacy had 27 bench reps which will allow him to bring a physical compliment to the Rams small, speedy running backs. Don’t think for a second that Stacy isn’t fast though, he ran a 4.55-40 and is agile despite his build.

Stacy played in the SEC which is by far the most dominant conference in college football. Stacy played against a lot of NFL talent and piled up some decent stats along the way. Stacy had 3,143 yards and 30 touchdowns during his college career and rushed for 1,141 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. He also piled up 83 yards against Georgia and 86 yards against LSU which are NFL caliber defenses. Stacy is  a decent pass blocker and can catch out of the backfield having 150 yards receiving last season. Most importantly however, is that Zac Stacy is consistent, which is what the Rams are losing in Steven Jackson. Jackson always talked about how he took pride in being consistent, Stacy brings that consistency to the table. Zac Stacy could be the hidden gem in the bottom of the draft and be more NFL ready than people think.

The Rams are going to have an open running back competition between Richardson, Pead, Stacy, and Ganaway. It’s probably more of a three man race between Richardson, Pead, and Stacy however. Stacy will have every opportunity to start, and if he is not the week 1 starter he will definitely get touches in the running back by committee approach the Rams will have going. Stacy has a legitimate shot of starting, definitely don’t rule him out. Richardson has the most NFL game experience, but Stacy fits the typical Jeff Fisher running back.

Zac Stacy has the ability and potential to surprise a lot of people this season and be the next Alfred Morris. He probably wont rack up 1,600 yards rushing, but could be the week 1 starter and rush for over 1,000, and that could be doubtful as well as all of the running back on the Rams roster except for maybe Ganaway will get touches this season, giving the Rams three solid options to go with . However if it’s one guy to keep an eye on and watch out for, it’s definitely Zac Stacy.