1 rookie has the worst odds to make Rams roster, but don't bet against him.

Things appear a bit different with the Los Angeles Rams in 2025. Of course, there is the obvious absence of both WR Cooper Kupp and DT Aaron Donald. And there is the obvious restocking of the Rams roster, the annual migration from familiar to unfamiliar faces, in the optimistic hope that this time the group will be forged into a true NFL Championship team.

It's the same aspiration that 31 other NFL teams and their fanbases hold to at this time of year. Optimism runs high in May.

But there is more to it than that. This team no longer appears as though they are stockpiling extras, as seen in an episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Unlike past depth charts, this is a group that has cast a much wider net. That is especially true for offensive skill players.

But imagine being so confident in your skills and talent to willingly sign on with the Los Angeles Rams as a running back right now. This is a team that sticks to one running back per offensive snap, sticks with one running back for over 75 percent of those snaps, and keeps the entire running back room at 5-foot-9 or under.

So it's safe to say that as the sixth running back who stands well over the 5-foot-9 norm, Jordan Waters is one of the, if not the, longest odds rookie to make the team roster.

How much of a welcome does North Carolina State rookie running back Jordan Waters really expect to get in 2025? After all, he towers over his teammates at 6-foot-0, he runs in a completely different style, and can beat all but two of his teammates in a footrace.

• Kyren Williams | Age: 24 | 5-foot-9 | 202 pounds | 4 yrs in NFL | 4.65-second 40
• Cody Schrader | Age: 25 | 5-foot-9 | 214 pounds | 2 yrs in NFL | 4.61-second 40
• Ronnie Rivers | Age: 24 | 5-foot-9 | 192 pounds | 4 yrs in NFL | 4.60-second 40
• Blake Corum | Age: 24 | 5-foot-8 | 210 pounds | 2 yrs in NFL | 4.53-second 40
• Jarquez Hunter | Age: 22 | 5-foot-9 | 204 pounds | Rookie | 4.44-second 40
• Jordan Waters | Age 24 | 6-foot-0 | 210 pounds | Rookie | 4.59-second 40

Waters played six seasons of NCAA football. He was the star running back for Duke for five seasons, transferring to N.C. State for his sixth and final year of college football.

While he never broke 1000+ yards rushing in any one season, he is a versatile offensive weapon who is at home at running and receiving. Throughout his collegiate career, he averaged 5.0 yards per carry and 10.2 yards per reception. And of his five active seasons, he averaged nearly six touchdowns per year.

Undrafted, Jordan Waters can change the persona of the Rams offense simply by getting some work. He is the type of big-bruising rusher that the Rams flirt with but never fall in love with. He extends the Rams' tradition of RBs Malcolm Brown, Sony Michel, and Royce Freeman.

Waters is starting at the sixth-ranked running back on the team, and facing tremendous challenges to move up the ladder. Four running backs on the Rams roster are returning from 2024. One running back was drafted. So Waters enters the Rams training camp with one foot out the door.

But let's not rush this intriguing rusher out the door just yet. He is the biggest and arguably the most powerful running back on the Rams roster. If you consider the fact that he can stare most NFL linebackers in the eye without looking up, he is a solid candidate for those tough pass-blocking assignments. And if the Rams want versatility, he is already primed and ready to deliver however the team chooses to deploy him.

While he almost certainly won't leap over Kyren Williams, Blake Corum, or Jarquez Hunter, a strong training camp could see him rise above both Ronnie Rivers and Cody Schrader, who are simply Kyren Williams-lite.

I can't say that he will usurp veteran running backs to remain on the Rams roster in 2025. But I believe that he can. And since it's May, and not September, let the optimism flow freely.

As always, thanks for reading.

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