Do or Bye, there is no try season for these 9 LA Rams veterans

Unsafety procedure

The ability of the LA Rams to draft a starting defensive back named Jordan Fuller with the 199th overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft was simply amazing. But the fact that since that time, his stock has regressed is no less amazing, albeit in the opposite direction. Part of the problem has been injuries, while another challenge has been promoting him to call the defensive plays in his second season while he was still learning his own role.

He is one more player who looks great when healthy. Unfortunately, durability has not been his trademark in the NFL so far. That's going to be a huge challenge this season because Jordan Fuller is surrounded by rookies and second-year players, all of whom will be looking to his veteran leadership.

Fuller is another player who is entering his fourth and final season under his rookie contract. The track record of the LA Rams is pretty clear. If the team did not re-sign stellar safety John Johnson III, what chance does Jordan Fuller have at returning? Well, unless he plays 17 games, and returns to the best version of himself, the chances of his playing for the Rams in 2024 are next to nothing.

It's now or never

Jordan Fuller is a player who can leave it all on the football field if and when he steps onto the football field. But he has been banged up a bit. He missed five games in his rookie season of 2020, one game plus all four postseason games in 2021, and 14 games in 2022. In three seasons, he has competed in 31 regular season games, but been injured for 20. The Rams payroll cannot handle the need to sign and pay players to cover for an injured Jordan Fuller in 2023.

In his rookie year, Fuller was a refreshing change, a safety who was skilled in pass coverage, but who could track the ball in the air and claim the football before it ended up in a receiver's hands. The Rams hope to renew that ball-hawking trait in Fuller, as creating turnovers will be of tremendous help this season.