Under the radar roster moves hold huge potential for Rams in Week 17

The 11-4 Los Angeles Rams are no longer in the hunt for the NFC West Division title. That honor falls to the winner of the 13-3 Seattle Seahawks and the 12-4 San Francisco 49ers. As of now, Los Angeles is a third-place team fighting for little more than respect and a favorable location in Round 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft.

Ah, but if you accept that, then you are missing the wizardry of this team. Nothing is as it seems. Right now, the team has two games to acclimate injured and backup players into postseason form, and that is exactly what LA is choosing to do. The first step in getting injured players up to speed starts with veteran cornerback Roger McCreary,

He will be joined in Week 17 by offensive lineman AJ Arcuri and safety Tanner Ingle, both elevated from the practice squad.

This is a struggling defense of late. A team once viewed as one of the stingiest NFL defenses is porous and generous. A run-stuffing defense that no longer stuffs the run and a pass rush that is pedestrian at best is not going to last long in the postseason.

The worst of it all is the secondary. With limited time, the defensive backs can cover like Velcro. But if the quarterback has time to throw, it wilts like a cut flower in the sun. Roger McCreary can change that.

Playing Roger McCreary in the Rams secondary now could be huge

For whatever reason, Los Angeles has not played veteran cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon since Week 14. This team has settled into a rotation of Emmanuel Forbes Jr., Cobie Durant, Darious Williams, Josh Wallace, and a smattering of Derion Kendrick. But Wallace is out. While the logical option is to play Witherspoon, the team is leaning toward playing McCreary this week.

McCreary has played one defensive snap since the Tennessee Titans traded him. In the final year of his contract, Los Angeles is eager to determine whether he fits his role on this roster. The coaches have two regular-season games and at least one postseason game to figure that out.

There are difficult decisions to make at the end of this season. Time is running out to amass enough data to make them based on evidence. Despite its current seeding, LA is very capable of running the table in the playoffs. But who can the team count on to do that? The coaches intend to find out.

The Falcons are an ideal opponent for Week 17. They are too good to tank, that is, mail it in for a better draft position. But they are eliminated from the postseason, which negates the likelihood that they will be overly scrappy or physical.

Is McCreary one of the answers to propping up a sagging defense? We are about to find out.

As always, thanks for reading.