LA Rams Daniel Hardy to IR, who fills the 53rd slot?

The LA Rams had to follow the rules, a bit of a nuisance is all. But rules are rules. To ensure that rookie outside linebacker Daniel Hardy had a chance to return to the active roster at some point in the 2022 NFL season, the Rams were required to list him on the initial 53-man roster. Now that the box has been checked, he is off to the team’s Reserve/IR list.

As expected too, I might add.

In the process, the LA Rams have a roster opening, one that creates a whirlwind of options for the team. How so? Well, the team is rather thin at the tight end position, carrying just two players on the initial 53-man roster.

The team could add or elevate an offensive lineman. Rumors linking the LA Rams to free agent offensive lineman Oday Oboushi have been warming up recently, and a natural opening in the 53-man roster could be the catalyst for signing him to the roster.

Of course, fan-favorite outside linebacker Chris Garrett was not re-signed to the roster. Could the team be adding him, either on the active roster or to backfill a vacancy created on the practice squad by elevating a player from that roster?

Finally, is this where the LA Rams and free agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. finally sit down, hammer out a mutually agreeable deal, and re-sign the veteran to the LA Rams roster?

Or could this be the point in time where the Rams front office signs a fifth running back to the roster off NFL waivers, shoring up a ground game that has much theology (faith-based) as scientific method (evidence-based) to it?

The options for the Rams go on and on and may be why the team has created the roster spot, but may take a day or two to weigh all of the options. Where do you see the Rams rounding out the roster with the final open slot? In house? Free agent? Whoever the team adds, the pressure is on if the newcomer is intended to contribute to the Rams’ effort in Week 1 against the Buffalo Bills, a game that is already less than one week away.