These 5 Rams won't make it past January (and everyone knows it)

Even as the 11-5 Los Angeles Rams prepare for the final game of the season against the 3-13 Arizona Cardinals, other matters begin to appear on the horizon. Like it or not, the season for this team has a maximum of five games remaining. And as it now appears, four of those games will be played on the road.

But what comes after? What happens when football ends, and the team disbands for the offseason once more? That is when the front office kicks into high gear. Players are extended. New players are added. Rookie prospects are selected in the draft.

All of that activity has one goal in mind: To reform another roster capable of winning a Super Bowl.

But roster slots do not magically appear. Some slots are vacated by expiring contracts. So let's pivot from who will arrive to who will be shown the door. After all, the team invested in some players with the expectation of getting a return on that investment.

Unfortunately, these five veterans have shown enough to be brought back for 2026

These 5 Rams won't make it past January (and everyone knows it)

5. Inside linebacker Troy Reeder

Sure, Troy Reeder appears on a list of outbound players, and every year he seems to wiggle his way back onto the roster. But this season appears to be different. Nate Landman and Omar Speights have secured starting positions. Shaun Dolac is a young rising star. And even young Elias Neal patiently awaits his opportunity on the practice squad.

Reeder was an insurance policy for 2025. That policy lapsed the moment that the team extended Landman.

4. Offensive tackle David Quessenberry

General manager Les Snead understood the limits of his roster in 2024 and acted to add depth to the offensive tackle position. Quessenberry was a veteran right tackle who was brought in in case veteran Rob Havenstein was injured. Instead, Warren McClendon Jr. won the right to start in Havenstein's place.

Quessenberry has a limited shelf life, and that useful life expires in 2026. While the team may draft a rookie offensive tackle, inexpensive alternatives also exist.

3. Cornerback Roger McCreary

Snead traded for Roger McCreary to support an injury-depleted defensive backfield. Unfortunately, McCreary was injured as well. His return was simply not enough to move the needle. Since his contract expires at the end of 2025, there are no compelling reasons to bring him back for another look.

2. Offensive tackle DJ Humphries

Snead cast a net for competitive offensive tackles in 2025 to address the shortfalls experienced at the position in early 2024. Due to a medical affliction to Alaric Jackson throughout training camp, he was the primary left tackle throughout training camp.

Unfortunately, he struggled in Week 17, both in penalties and in allowing sacks. A left tackle who gets penalized and cannot block is... expendable.

1. Wide receiver Tutu Atwell

After signing a $10 million contract for one year, Atwell has caught five passes for 173 yards and one touchdown. That's $2 million per catch. That's just unsustainable.

Nobody faults Atwell. But this offense cannot afford to pay players who never get targeted, or who simply are not a fit for what the team wants to do. Atwell is 12th among 12 players who have caught passes this season. And in Week 17, the team featured Xavier Smith, not Tutu Atwell.

Los Angeles will compete in the playoffs. If by some miracle one or more of these players has a career-defining performance in the postseason, things could change. But as it stands right now, they all have one foot out the door.

As always, thanks for reading.