5 Rams tumbling down depth charts during the preseason

The LA Rams roster has shrunk from 90 players to 85 players. In less than 48 hour’s time, the roster will shrink once more, from 85 to 80 players. While that may not seem overly depleting, this round of cuts is a bit more damning to a player’s career than either of the other two. The next round of cuts is the precursor to NFL teams signing up players for their practice squad.  The previous round puts players back into the talent pool, affording a headstart to find a new venue to showcase their football talents.

But the middle round of cuts, much like a middle child, is neither first nor last. That adds an extra layer of anonymity to anyone who falls into this category. For an NFL player, anonymity is the harbinger of a too-soon end to the dream of playing in the NFL. While there are plenty of headline players who enjoy long and storied NFL careers, the average career for NFL players is only 3.3 years. While that may seem short, keep in mind that many players who make the 90-man training camp roster are cut before the team ever gets to the regular season. The LA Rams, as the youngest team in the NFL, is the exception rather than the rule.

Rams roster

Cutting down a roster to nearly half of its size is all part of the competitive nature of professional sports. But it’s also the most difficult and challenging element of the NFL as well. Making an NFL roster is no more of a guarantee to enjoying a long NFL career than getting called back for a second interview is a guarantee to a long career with that company.  It gets you closer. No more. No less.

Five more LA Rams players now face that hiccup in their NFL careers. Some will find this to be an off-ramp to the football season. Others will find it to be just a break in the action, and will soon be flying to another city or country to resume their business on the football field. As training camp continues on in a new format, and as preseason games come and go, here are five players who are tumbling down the Rams depth chart:

Defensive back

The first depth chart positioned defensive back Donte Deayon as the backup to Darious Williams. Since that time, we’ve seen some pretty solid plays from David Long Jr. and Kareem Orr. Meanwhile, the Rams have rookie Robert Rochell recovering from a wrist injury. With the younger guys’ progress, Deayon is facing some stiff competition.

Of course, you may recall Donte Deayon as the flamboyant star of the LA Rams episodes of the 2020 HBO Hard Knocks series. Despite showing a made-for-television personality and what appeared to be a decent enough training camp, Deayon did not make the team’s 53-man roster and was one of a number of players waived from the team.

Of course, he was re-signed to the team’s practice squad. He was even elevated to the team’s active roster when the LA Rams took on the Green Bay Packers in the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs. That game ended as a loss, and the defensive was uncharacteristically not as resilient as in previous 2020 contests. Still, it should have been a springboard for Deayon’s 2021 season, right?

Well then, what happened? 2021 arrived and so far? Nada. Zippity doo dah. He has not been heard from in preseason games. And few reports out of training camp mention him. In fact, both Brontae Harris and Kareem Orr have been getting lots of positive press. Deayon could be, should have been, that guy headlining after the preseason games. Unfortunately, he isn’t.

Tight end

When the LA Rams signed former South Carolina Gamecocks tight end Kyle Markway, there was little chance of the guy carving out a spot on the 53-man roster. While 6-foot-4 and 250 pounds is an ideal size for an NFL tight end, the key to the preseason and training camp is to get noticed by the fans is with receptions, and by the coaches with tremendous blocks.

Los Angeles Rams

So far, the report out of training camp do not attest to Kyle Markway as showing up huge in either category. The box stats from two preseason games do not offer evidence that Markway is developing and progressing. If the Rams were shallow at the position, that would be less of a concern. The trouble is that the Rams are pretty thick at tight end.

We know that the Rams have two starters in Tyler Higbee and Johnny Mundt. We also know that tight end Jacob Harris has been targeted ten times with five receptions, 45 yards, and a touchdown. Tight end Brycen Hopkins has caught three of four targets for 34 yards. Even tight end Kendall Blanton as caught his one lone pass for a nine yard touchdown.

So far, Markway isn’t showing up, which is a clear indication for a tight end that he filling a slot as a camp body. That’s not to say that he doesn’t have an upside. It’s just that right now, the roster squeeze is getting tighter and the Rams will likely not have a spot for Markway on either the 53 man roster or the practice squad. When that is the conclusion, then it’s simply a matter of when, and not if, his name shows up on waivers.

Outside linebacker

When the LA Rams added outside linebacker John Daka, he was claimed off the NY Jets waiver wire, and he most certainly arrived in time to fill a concerning and critical position for the LA Rams defense, the outside linebacker position. While he arrived in early May 2021, he was a welcome reinforcement to a position that was quite uncertain in terms of depth and quality.

Since his arrival, the Rams have found that Justin Hollins will start opposite veteran Leonard Floyd. We’ve discovered that Ogbonnia Okoronkwo has returned and had elevated his game. We discovered that Justin Lawler has the stuff of a rotational player. And against the Chargers, rookie Chris Garrett put on a ten minute clinic of how an outside linebacker can change a games momentum.

I don’t want to leave an impression that the LA Rams are getting nothing out of OLB John Daka. They are. It’s just that he is not keeping pace with some of the stars on the Rams’ defense. So far in preseason, Daka has four tackles and one for a loss. That’s pretty good production in two games while the team rotates players in and out of the lineup.

The Rams may only carry four on the roster, which means that either Garrett or Lawler may be slid on over to the practice squad (if they clear waivers). It also means that last year’s selection, Terrell Lewis, is at risk of appearing on the waiver wire too. From that perspective, Lewis likely gets the nod over Daka due to the draft pick invested in him. Daka is NFL worthy. He just ended up among players who are showing more rapid production and development than he is currently.

Defensive lineman

When the LA Rams signed undrafted free agent Michael Hoecht after the 2020 NFL Draft, he had the type of background story that was a good read. He was a former graduate out of Brown University, was drafted in the CFL, and signed on as a defensive lineman to compete and play for one of the best defensive line units in the NFL. He has power, size and speed. Lots and lots of speed.

With all that being said, I continue to scratch my head as to why second-year defensive lineman Michael Hoecht is not showing up with much production in the box stats after games or in training camp reports. So far, Hoecht has racked up three tackles after appearing in two preseason games. That is on par with Marquise Copeland, and George Silvanic befor Silvanic was waived.

But we’re talking about the numbers game, and while Hoecht is showing steady progress, other players are showing up with more. Both Jonah Williams (six tackles, 1.5 QB sacks) and Eric Banks (five tackles, 2.0 QB sacks) are showing up in preseason so far. They are all competing with drafted rookies Bobby Brown III and Ernest Brown IV for limtied slots on the 53-man roster.

The Rams starters will shake out as Aaron Donald, Sebastian Joseph-Day, and A’Shawn Robinson. We know that Greg Gaines is one backup. It will be tough to dislodge Bobby Brown III from the other backup spot. That means that everyone is competing for one active roster spot, and even for slots on the practice squad. That’s simply the numbers game, and will likely force the Rams to part ways with several promising players. I was intrigued by Silvanic before he was cut. I like Michael Hoecht’s upside a great deal. But I don’t know where the LA Rams can stash him to keep him.

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..