New NFL regulation may hurt the LA Rams roster this season

The LA Rams have a reputation as one of the more hospitable teams in the NFL when it comes to roster decisions. Rather than wait to decide on a player's fit or potential, the Rams organization has been known to make those decisions quickly. Not only does that make the decision to part ways with a player short and sweet, it also gives those players an opportunity to sign on with another team for the last week or two of preseason, potentially affording them an opportunity to earn a roster spot on another NFL team.

Of course, there is always the flip side to that equation as well. The LA Rams also have an opportunity to vet and perhaps place a waiver claim on those players who are unable to latch on with another NFL team. While it does mean that an additional spot on the Rams roster must be vacated, the overall effect is an upgrade to the Rams roster even as other teams are paring their rosters down to a 75-man or 53-man roster.

That could all change now, thanks to a new NFL regulation approval that will necessitate the LA Rams, and all NFL tearms for that matter, to pare down their rosters form 90 to 53 players at once, the date of the 37 player reduction will be Tuesday, August 29, 2023:

So what, you ask? Here are ways that this could negatively impact the LA Rams roster building process:

How NFL/NFLPA rules changes have hurt the LA Rams in 2022

Let's be clear. Changes is neither a good thing or a bad thing. Change is merely a different thing. But under certain circumstances, those changes can unintentionally cause unforeseen negative results on an NFL team. What do I mean?

The NFL and NFLPA agreed to reinstitute a limit on NFL teams regarding the number of times that team could reactivate players from their Injured Reserve designation to the 53-player active roster. I do not know the logic behind setting that number to 16 times, but that ceiling had a series of negative impacts to the LA Rams roster throughout the 2022 NFL season. Not only did the Rams reach that limit quickly, but in order to manage the roster under that limit, the Rams held players off IR if they were expected to have any chance of recovery in four weeks or less.

That meant that the Rams inactive list was often a make-shift IR list, carrying a number of players who would not only not play in that week's game, but who were too injured to practice as well. So what risks might this new rule change expose the LA Rams to this season? Here are three that quickly come to mind.