LA Rams roster: Four betters, Four worse

Four better

I : The Rams quarterback situation appears to be in much better shape in 2023. For starters, the LA Rams' status at the position starts off this year much improved over 2021 or 2022 in the fact that veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford has had the opportunity to rest and heal up for months, and is in the best shape of his three-season LA Rams career.

But the team did not just add camp bodies to the roster behind Stafford. In all honestly, it finally feels as if the Rams have weighed out their decisions and actually made deliberate decisions to round out the quarterback room this season. The Rams drafted quarterback Stetson Bennett to handle the backup quarterback role and provide upside potential to win some games.

The team added veteran Brett Rypien for his NFL experience and to help run training camp and potentially the scouting team. Finally, the Rams signed rookie quarterback Dresser Winn who is an ideal developmental quarterback. Winn is a pocket passer who can improvise, aligning perfectly with similar skill sets as starting QB Stafford.

Big burly body added to OL

II : The LA Rams have open competition at the starting offensive left guard role, vacated by veteran free agent David Edwards. But almost everyone has sturdy rookie interior offensive lineman Steve Avila as the Rams default starter there, and I would be surprised if he does not start on Day 1 at that position

The most admirable quality of Avila, besides the fact that he is devastatingly effective across all three interior offensive line positions, is the upside of this young man. While the Rams have had 'adequate,' offensive linemen in the recent past, from Austin Blythe to Austin Corbett to David Edwards, there seemed to be that invisible ceiling to their upside. While I could be wrong, that ceiling does not appear to be there for Avila, or if it does exist, it's at a much higher level.

The LA Rams needed to make serious investment into their offensive line in 2023. Selecting Steve Avila as the first interior offensive lineman off the 2023 Draft board does not ensure that the LA Rams got a future Pro Bowler. But the team absolutely chose the player who topped their board at the position. Until we have evidence proving otherwise, that is good enough for me.