3 players LA Rams will regret leaving off the 53-man roster in 2024

(1) - IOL Zach Thomas

The LA Rams clearly had a surplus of offensive linemen this year. The irony is that the team traded a Round 4 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and a Round 5 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft to the Pittsburgh Steelers for IOL Kevin Dotson, a Round 5 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and a Round 6 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. One year later, the team has a huge preseason out of Zach Thomas, proving that he is ready to start for an NFL team.

He was claimed off NFL Waiver Wire by the New England Patriots, and will likely have a shot at a starting role on their team.

The Rams were quite active in the offseason, re-signing OT Alaric Jackson and RG Kevin Dotson, while adding free agent LG Jonah Jackson. Those moves prompted the team to transition left guard Steve Avila to the center position as the starting five offensive linemen quickly took shape.

But the teams also landed some start offensive linemen in the 2024 NFL Draft, as rookie Beaux Limmer appears to be ready to start right out of the gates. And third-year IOL Logan Bruss finally looked the part of a solid backup offensive lineman. With Zach Thomas at left guard, AJ Arcuri at left tackle, and Warren McClendon at right tackle, the Rams backup offensive line seemed up to the challenge of blocking against anyone, even NFL rotational players.

But other teams noticed as well.

The team managed to sneak OT AJ Arcuri, IOL Mike McAllister, and undrafted rookie IOL Justin Dedich to the practice squad. and maintained IOL Logan Bruss, Beaux Limmer, and OT Warren McClendon on the 53-man roster.

I personally believed Zach Thomas outplayed Logan Bruss in preseason. And as such, I fear that the team lost a future starter and perhaps more, for nothing. There was a lot of talent on the offensive line to sort through this season. Ironically, the team invested heavily in a few players, but may have let one of their best escape.

As always, thanks for reading.