Rams’ roster purge claims preseason spark plug despite breakout potential

Before training camp and the preseason, many Los Angeles Rams fans already understood that drafting Auburn running back Jarquez Hunter in the 2025 NFL Draft instantly put Ronnie Rivers and Cody Schrader on the roster bubble. That presumption only grew stronger with the steady stream of positive training camp reports about Hunter.

But that perception shifted as soon as the preseason arrived. The team seemed to hold open tryouts for every running back competing behind starter Kyren Williams. And in those games, Cody Schrader stood out as the clear best of the bunch. Both Schrader (120 rushing yards, 4.44 YPC) and Hunter (110 rushing yards, 3.33 YPC) appeared in all three preseason contests, but only one earned a roster spot while the other was released.

The running back room has been pared down this year, with the team carrying just three backs after rostering four throughout the 2024 season. Of those four, the offense continued to feed the ball to Williams. Blake Corum handled less than 13 percent of the carries, Ronnie Rivers accounted for under five percent, and Schrader had just a single rushing attempt.

Cody Schrader’s breakout preseason wasn’t enough to save his Rams roster spot

One carry from a running back simply doesn’t warrant a roster spot. That was the disconnect that many fans and Rams sites pointed out a year ago. It’s the experience from last season that tempered expectations for both Rivers and Schrader heading into this year, at least until preseason rolled around.

Schrader put his full range of rushing skills on display. He played noticeably faster on the field than his straight-line speed suggests, and he showed natural instincts by staying in the shadow of his offensive linemen until he found a crease, then igniting his afterburners to race into daylight. Many fans who witnessed his consistently impressive performances were convinced he would make the team.

Alas, it was not to be. The Rams took the advice of many fans from last season and parted ways with Rivers, rookie Jordan Waters, and Schrader this year. Will he return to the practice squad? Perhaps. For now, the team has condensed its ground attack to three talented running backs.

Unfortunately, the team parted ways with an underused running back after he finally gave them solid reasons not to do so. As always, thanks for reading.

More Los Angeles Rams news and analysis