About the LA Rams vacant roster spot, the team has a plan

The LA Rams have plans for the final vacant roster spot if it all comes together

For the second time in the past two years, the LA Rams find themselves scrambling to fill an inside linebacker starting role days before the start of the NFL season. In 2019, the team scrambled to fill the roster spot vacated by ILB Micah Kiser after he suffered a season-ending injury in the last preseason game.

Even without preseason games, the Rams could not avoid a similar fate in 2020, as ILB Travin Howard suffered a knee injury that ended his season. With so little experience on the Rams roster at the position, the team would be forced to turn to either seventh-round inside linebacker Clay Johnston, or to undrafted linebacker Christian Rozeboom.

What’s behind curtain number 3?

While the Rams have made the most of their active roster, the team would no doubt feel more comfortable finding a player at the position with a bit of NFL experience.  So the team has an empty roster spot, with the hope of finding the right player to bolster their linebacker ranks.

Will the Rams find such a player? There are many out there right now. But the process of identifying such a player and then onboarding him has become unrecognizably encumbered. And as the Rams vet possible prospects, they are racing against the clock. Will the player take a chance to play for the Rams? Or will he be more comfortable remaining where he is, signing onto the practice squad, and hope for a future opportunity with the team he originally signed to play for?

The 2020 NFL season remains filled with twists, turns, and cul de sacs. The Rams will likely not have any news to share over the final roster spot for a day or two.  In the meantime, the Rams have the option to promote someone from the practice squad. In our estimation, that player will either be Christian Rozeboom or Clay Johnston. We’ll know soon enough over the next few days. Stay tuned!