How many LA Rams starters remain on roster from their SB LVI victory?

One of the 'nicknames,' that gets mentioned occasionally when discussing the NFL is the 'Not For Long,' phrase. When it comes to the LA Rams, that has never been more accurate. What do I mean? Well, when the LA Rams won Super Bowl LVI, and claimed the first Lombardi Trophy for the city of Los Angeles California, the belief at the time was that the Rams could 'Run It Back,' and compete in Super Bowl LVII as well.

That never happened.

What did happen is football. Professional football is measured in dog years. A rookie contract typically lasts four NFL seasons, and if that player performs well enough, there is another far more lucrative contract to follow. But those are the exceptions to the rules. Here is a sobering fact you should know: The average NFL career lasts just 3.3 years.

Offense

Quarterback: Matthew Stafford
Running Back: Cam Akers
Wide Receiver: Cooper Kupp
Wide Receiver: Odell Beckham Jr.
Wide Receiver (Alt): Van Jefferson
Tight End: Kendall Blanton; Tyler Higbee is still questionable
Left Tackle: Andrew Whitworth
Left Guard: David Edwards
Center: Brian Allen
Right Tackle: Rob Havenstein
Right Guard: Austin Corbett

Defense

Defensive End: Aaron Donald
Defensive End: A’Shawn Robinson
Tackle: Greg Gaines
Tackle (Alt): Bobby Brown III
Inside Linebacker: Troy Reeder
Inside Linebacker: Christian Rozeboom
Outside Linebacker: Von Miller
Outside linebacker: Leonard Floyd
Cornerback: Jalen Ramsey
Cornerback: Darious Williams
Strong Safety: Nick Scott
Free Safety: Eric Weddle
Free Safety (Alt): Taylor Rapp

Special Teams

Punter: Johnny Hekker
Kicker: Matt Gay
Punt Returner: Brandon Powell
Kick Returner: Brandon Powell

*Bold player names indicate that those players are still on the Rams roster

As you can see from the roster above, of the LA Rams 28 players who were noted as starters or key rotational players from their Super Bowl LVI victory just two years ago, only 10 players remain on the Rams roster this year. That works out to 38 percent of the Rams roster. While I haven't included the depth and rotational players in this exercise, logic suggests that if they were added, the Rams retention would be far less.

The LA Rams may be undertaking a great deal of change this season, and that may have many of us out of our comfort zone. But change is a key ingredient to a successful NFL team. And to stay successful, teams have to be strong at managing those changes. The LA Rams certainly are trying to surf the pipeline of change this season. Will they have a good ride or will this team wipe out?

Stay tuned . . .