As 2 players prepare to return from IR, Rams roster gymnastics begins

The LA Rams are pivoting from Week 4 to Week 5. And that means several things for the team. It means that the team is returning to SoFI Stadium, the site of the team's lone victory in four attempts. It means that according to the Rams schedule, this team is hosting the ever-competitive Green Bay Packers, a 2-2 team that is eager to get back on track and return to their winning ways.

But Week 5 also holds a special place for the LA Rams roster as well. It means that players who were designated on the team's Injured Reserve roster before Week 1 are now eligible to return to the team. The mechanics of how that is accomplished is that the team must alert the NFL that they are moving to the 21-day window to return to practice with the active roster. And that clock starts ticking. Within the next 21 days, or by October 20, 2024, the Rams must move those players to the active roster, after taking the appropriate actions to free up a sufficient number of roster slots.

So how many roster slots must this team free up? Right now, the team is prepared to restore two veterans off IR. Who are they?

The choice of DT Larrell Murchison and DB Darious Williams as the first veterans to return from IR comes as no surprise. This young Rams defense is reeling right now.

While DT Larrell Murchison is just 6-foot-2 and tips the scales at 285 pounds, he is a proven veteran who did not miss a single tackle on the Rams defense in 2023. The Rams are still trying to fine tune a defensive front rotation, and Murchison may simply be heading for a cameo role in a defense that seems to struggle with more than making tackles, but in the basic fundamental of what type of defense they want to be on a football field.

The greater upgrade will likely come from the return of DB Darious Williams in the teams secondary. If he reclaims his former role, he is effective at pass coverage and at creating turnovers. The Rams secondary, still trying to figure out what they need to do to be effective, is desperate for the type of veteran leadership that DWill can instantly infuse.

While the Rams need is urgent, the team may simply be willing to let their current roster ride through Week 5, and then use their Week 6 BYE to make wholesale changes.

Right now, wholesale changes are needed. And they need to be comprehensive too.

Perhaps the biggest question as the team prepares to welcome back the first two players from IR is: Who will the team shed in hopes of making room? That's a question for another article.

Thanks for reading.