The down and dirty of the LA Rams initial 53-man roster
By Bret Stuter
Outside linebacker (5)
Leonard Floyd, Justin Hollins, Chris Garrett, Terrell Lewis, Ogbonnia Okoronkwo (*)
Synopsis
The starters for the outside linebackers may be veteran Leonard Floyd and the quite capable Justin Hollins. The rotational work for the outside linebacker may fall to Terrell Lewis and Ogbonnia Okoronkwo. But I can’t lie. I am most excited to see what rookie edge rusher Chris Garrett can do in his rookie season.
While it is tough to believe that any young man can take over a game for ten minutes on the defensive side of the ball as he did against the Las Vegas Raiders, he did it nevertheless. Was it his excellence of play, his opposition’s worst game of his career, or some cosmic combination of both? Who is to say? In the end, seeing is indeed believing, and I saw it.
Still, the LA Rams rely heavily upon the edge players. They are counted on to do it all, and they oftentimes do. The trick is to keep them fresh while doing so. That can be problematic, though, as the team has had frequent occasions when either Terrell Lewis (knee) or Ogbonnia Okoronkwo (stinger) has not been available for practice already this year. In fact, the team may be looking at placing Obo on Injured Reserve for a three-week return. That could create an opening to reinforce the ranks if the team finds a compatible fit among the 800 or so waived players.