LA Rams depth chart is already surprisingly thin before Week 1

Lessons of struggles, adversity, and failure will only benefit an NFL team if those lessons are learned and used to take corrective action. I'm not quite convinced that the LA Rams front office and coaching staff have fully gotten the message. If they had, then the Rams simply chose to ignore a team's weaknesses heading into the regular season. As a result, the Rams are already forced to elevate practice squad players for Week 1.

And that is not a very good way to open the season.

The LA Rams certainly have one of the young NFL rosters this season, but that has prompted the team to go rather deep in some positions. The depth at offensive line this year finds the Rams roster carrying 10 players. The same can be said of running back (4 players) and tight end (4 players)

Setting the right depth of any NFL team roster is a complex and subjective. Teams want to retain their best 53 players, but are also aware that injuries throughout the season can quickly tax a team's backups and reserves. The Rams are a perfect example of that, as the team had to start more than a dozen different offensive linemen last season.

Rams depth chart already proving to be too thin

While that explains why the team is carrying 10 offensive linemen, why has this team opted for just two quarterbacks? Last season, the Rams were forced to start four different quarterbacks, and yet the team decided that two were enough this season.

Only, it isn't enough. Before the season even starts, the Rams 53-man roster is down to one quarterback, and will be forced to elevate reserve quarterback Brett Rypien for Week 1.

Taking risks is pretty much how the LA Rams front office rolls, and has rolled, since hiring Head Coach Sean McVay. But those risks are typically backed off after the team is burned once.

RIght now, the LA Rams will compete in Week 1 without WR1 Cooper Kupp, backup QB Stetson Bennett, and TE3 Hunter Long. Although the Rams do have sufficient depth to handle Long's absence, the team is facing a risky week by being down to starting quarterback Matthew Stafford, and elevating practice squad quarterback Brett Rypien.

Compounding that concerning turn of events, the Rams will play their first game without their most dangerous offensive weapon in Cooper Kupp. That may force the Rams to change their offensive strategy and adversely impact the season opener outcome.