5 Rams tumbling down depth charts during the preseason

Quarterback

The battle for the backup for the backup quarterback spot seems to be a foregone conclusion, and veteran Devlin Hodges appears to have come up on the short end of the stick. While this is an unusual preseason schedule with only three games, it still seems to be the intention of most NFL teams to feature their projected waived players to allow them a chance of being signed to another NFL team.

The Rams played the entire game against the Chargers on the back of dual-threat quarterback Bryce Perkins, after he performed better in the first preseason game against the Chargers. That leaves the third and final game to likely feature quarterback Devlin Hodges. And that is where the Rams will likely play most of their players who are on the bubble.

It’s tough to state that Hodges is on his way out after just one half of one preseason game. And that’s not what we are doing here. It’s simply reading the signs. Hodges completed 11 passes for 85 yards and threw an interception so far in preseason. Perkins threw 33 of 49 passes for 250 yards and three touchdowns to one interception. I don’t think it gets much clearer than that.

Hodges is an NFL veteran quarterback who did in fact have all OTAs and training camp to pick up the rather complex LA Rams offense. That knowledge alone could draw interest from upcoming opponents if he finds himself released via the LA Rams waiver wire. But truth be told, that should not be enough reason to keep him.  The Rams must pare down the roster in just two days. While I expect that he will survice that deadline, he will need a miraculous performance on the road to earn a spot on the practice squad.

Hodges was added as a camp arm, and he performed that role quite admirably. But his role is expiring as the final roster cuts near at just nine days away. Wolford is untested this year. Perkins exhibits some admirable traits, but needs plenty of work in terms of ball placement to his receivers. But Hodges is a distant fourth in the competition, and will likely need to play elsewhere for a shot at a more meaningful quarterback role..