Is LA Rams latest roster move mere precaution, or premonition?

What about the Rams roster moves?

The LA Rams front office has been a bit busy so far this week. The team re-signed former offensive tackle Blake Larson to the team's practice squad, the team has waived former DE Anthony Goodlow with an injury settlement, placed DB Darious Williams on IR to allow his hamstring to heal, and finally, the team has activated OT AJ Arcuri from the practice squad for Week 1.

The question is, is this a precautionary move, to ensure that the team has an ample supply of offensive tackles to go in Week 1 just in case? Or is there another message being delivered inadvertently with this action? Well, the Rams may be simply taking precautions.

With Joe Noteboom at left tackle, the Rams have only swing tackle Warren McClendon to cover as backup for both starting offensive tackles. With Rob Havenstein already at risk of re-injury, plus Noteboom's injury history, the team cannot be confident that injury in this game won't happen. After all, this is the Detroit Lions we are talking about, a team that applauds physical (and perhaps questionable) hits over the course of a game.

Perhaps premonition is more likely

The Rams have not committed to starting Rob Havenstein just yet. But even if they do, the team will need more than one offensive tackle on hand in case injury happens. And backup offensive tackle A.J. Arcuri is bound to attract some interest from NFL teams seeking offensive line reinforcements.

Pro Football Focus author Thomas Valentine listed Rams OT A.J. Arcuri as one of the Top 2024 NFL preseason performers who didn't make the cut. in his complimentary article, Valentine has this to say about Arcuri:

"The former Michigan State tackle was the Los Angeles Rams seventh-round pick in 2022 and played eight games in that season before spending the 2023 campaign on the practice squad. Arcuri had the chance to stake his case for a roster spot in 2024 and was excellent all preseason.

Arcuri played and started all three preseason games for the Rams, earning an 80.8 PFF overall grade for his efforts, the fourth-highest mark among all tackles, while allowing just two pressures in 82 passing snaps. It was a solid left tackle performance and one that could land him on another practice squad."

- PFF author Thomas Valentie

The LA Rams were fortunate to retain Arcuri on the practice squad. When the team waived interior offensive lineman Zach Thomas, he was instantly scooped up by the New England Patriots. And with Havenstein on a shaky ankle, and the team likely to deploy both backup offensive tackles into starting roles in Week 1, promoting Arcuri is a solid decision.

The Rams are not in an ideal situation right now. But the team was wise enough to load up on talented offensive linemen. Now, it's a matter of seeing just how talented the team's depth players truly are.

Let's hope that they can meet this Week 1 challenge, and emerge victorious.

As always, thank you for reading.