How does Matthew Stafford affect the LA Rams 53-man roster?

Tight end

Last but not least, we now turn towards the tight end portion of the offense. Historically, the Rams have carried two starting tight ends in the form of Gerald Everett and Tyler Higbee and augmented the offensive line with a very versatile blocking tight end Johnny Mundt. This year that template changes significantly.

Everett is playing for the Seattle Seahawks, and the LA Rams do not appear to have an obvious replacement for him identified as of yet. That’s just fine with Tyler Higbee, who could break the 1000 yard plateau for the first time in his career. That’s not fiction. He is a very good player who, until now, has patiently shared the load with his teammate. Now, he will have the chance to be featured in this LA Rams offense. Hint: Grab him on your Fantasy Football team.

The Rams may not have Gerald Everett, but expect to see a lot more of Johnny Mundt this year. While he’d averaged just 15 percent of the offensive snaps over the past two seasons, you can expect that to double in 2021. Even though he was primarily used almost exclusively to block, he’s hauled in 75 percent of the passes thrown his way. The only problem so far is the volume, as he’s been targeted just 12 times.

Finally, the Rams carried four tight ends on the roster in 2020. I don’t know if they do so in 2021. I suppose it comes down to carrying Jacob Harris on the 53-man roster. I suspect that Harris is the determining factor as to where the tight ends get cut off.

In the end, the LA Rams, like 31 other NFL teams, are trying to assemble the best 53-man group of players who will succeed at winning in 2021. Matthew Stafford will lead the offense, and the Rams front office will logically try to build that offense in such a way that amplifies his ability to win games. Will they succeed at doing so? Stay tuned…