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Let's talk about Rams roster, and how the team fumbled the plan so far

The team has not optimized the roster so far in 2024. Here's how:

By Bret Stuter

Jul 29, 2024; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay, general manager Les Snead, and chief of staff Carter Crutchfield talk on the field during training camp at Loyola Marymount University. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Jul 29, 2024; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay, general manager Les Snead, and chief of staff Carter Crutchfield talk on the field during training camp at Loyola Marymount University. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
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(3) - Rams tight end trap

When the LA Rams lost starting tight end Tyler Higbee during the Wild Card Round of the 2024 NFL Playoffs, the tight end position faced uncertainty for the 2024 NFL season. Rookie tight end Davis Allen pleasantly surprised the team in 2023 with a very efficient by light workload. Veteran TE Hunter Long suffered too many injuries to give the team any idea how well he might fit this team.

But two returning tight ends on top of Higbee seemed to be an adequate supply for the 2024 NFL season. Still, the team faced two players who had only a light workload. So it made sense to add one more rotational player to the ranks. And we even identified an excellent and inexpensive option in the form of former Seattle Seahawks tight end Will Dissly.

Dissly signed a three-year $14-million contract to play for the Los Angeles Chargers. Instead, the Rams opted to sign former Seahawks tight end Colby Parkinson. The Rams signed him to a three-year $22.5-million contract, The problem? Dissly is producing better than Parkinson.

Dissly has 41 catches, nearly an 80 percent catch rate, 399 receiving yards, and one touchdown. Parkinson has 25 catches, less than a 65 percent catch rate, 243 receiving yards, and one touchdown.

The problem is not solely anchored in Parkinson's failure to live up to his contract. The bigger overall problem is the amount of resources that this team has committed to the tight end position. The Rams are currently carrying three tight ends on the active roster, one tight end on injured reserve, and two tight ends on the practice squad. Six players dedicated to a role that typically sees no more than one player at a time engaged in an active role on game day. Huh?

Whenever the Rams deploy the 12-personnel package at least 15 percent of the offensive snaps, the team has won. So why not incorporate two tight-end formations more often? That seems to be a mystery that defies explanation.

The team has overloaded on an underused position. And that has hampered the Rams roster construction for more critically understaffed roles. Like what? Read on

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