4 most surprising Rams roster decisions that defined brutal cut day

The Los Angeles Rams did not keep fans in suspense for very long. Within hours of the end of preseason competition, the team began to slash players from the roster. Even from the first wave, the team made it very clear. Nobody was safe. Neither rookies nor veterans enjoyed an inherent advantage.

Building an NFL roster seems counterintuitive. The roster that is initially constructed is the 90-man roster to get the team through training camp and preseason. To get to the initial 53-man roster, the team must deconstruct the non-essential players to get to the final core, the group that will remain with the team to start the season.

The team has enjoyed ever-increasing success in recent years. But that success comes with its own set of challenges. Some of the players who were released may return via the practice squad. But of the group, these were the most confusing:

4 biggest surprises from Rams' ruthless roster cut day

4. The human missile, Tanner Ingle, got the axe

Just hours after being praised by head coach Sean McCay on the headset during the broadcast of Game 3, safety Tanner Ingle was released. Originally signed as an undrafted free agent in 2023, Ingle has remained on the team's practice squad over the past two seasons. He upped his game this season, raising hopes that he might make the active roster in 2025.

While the team is content to enter 2025 with only four safeties, the contracts of both Quentin Lake and Kam Curl expire at the end of the season. With that being said, Ingle is almost certainly returning to the team on the practice squad.

3. A resurgent RB Cody Schrader was released

Talk about an about-face. Cody Schrader occupied a roster spot throughout the entirety of the Rams' 2024 season and ultimately had a handful of offensive snaps, one run, and one catch. It seemed to make no sense to carry four running backs on the roster when over 80 percent of the workload was handled by one player, Kyren Williams.

Schrader proved many doubters wrong. He was the sixth-best NFL preseason running back, and routinely showcased burst, a great feel for the seam, and a way to find daylight. Perhaps more surprising is the fact that the team claimed Schrader off waivers from the San Francisco 49ers. The Niners have been very active trying to reconstruct their own RB room. Will Schrader return to their run-centric offense? If the team wanted to retain this running back, it would be rolling the dice this season.

2. Undrafted WR Brennan Presley was superb, but not good enough

The depth of the team's offensive weapons may not have allowed room to carry WR/PR/KR Brennan Pressley on the active roster, but his special teams performances had to give pause to his release. While that may not have secured him a spot on the roster, it certainly acts like a neon sign to attract interest from other NFL teams.

Presley was an undrafted free agent who signed with the team this offseason. He was very productive at Oklahoma State, and he appears to have carried over both his versatility and production into the NFL. It's unclear if he will clear waivers, but for the sake of the offense and special team depth, he most certainly should return on the practice squad.

1. Rams shed both Round 5 players, OLB Brennan Jackson and ILB Chris Paul Jr.

After several years of phenomenal success at drafting rookies in Round 5 of an NFL Draft, the team appears to have thrown in the towel on two players selected in that round in the most recent two draft classes. Both Brennan Jackson and Chris "Pooh" Paul Jr. performed well in training camp and in preseason. Unfortunately, both players were competing at positions where the talent level for competition spiked this year.

Jackson was chosen in Round 5 of the 2024 NFL Draft. Paul was selected just one year later, in Round 5 of the 2025 NFL Draft. With their release this year, the team has ended a short streak of finding NFL stars on Day 3 of the draft. But to their credit, neither player was promoted to fill a starting role due to a serious injury or trade of a veteran. Without sufficient reps, both have been deemed expendable. Their only hope now lies in returning to the practice squad or in signing with a new team.

The entire effort of paring down the team to meet the 53-player limit was painstaking and difficult. But the worst is over. After players clear waivers, the team can bring 16 players back for the practice squad. As always, thanks for reading.