What should fans know about the latest Rams addition to the roster?

I: Fields is a 'just in case' guy

The LA Rams opened the season flirting with the precipice of disaster. Losing the two top receivers, losing two key defensive backs, and losing a handful of offensive linemen, was certainly not the way this team hoped to open the season. Even as the team fell to a record of 1-4, the proof of the roster depth continued to shine through.

So is Tony Fields just one more addition to the better-than-the-brochure bunch? He has a solid background of NFL production. While not the type of player whose resume screams 'start me now,' he does offer enough well-rounded experience so as to give the team an option on game day for a contributor to special teams or a rotational player on defense.

With the team's injury history in 2024, Tony Fields brings some level of competency off the bench for whatever the situation calls for. Even on the practice squad, he can offer insights into a number of teams who remain on the schedule. So Fields brings a bit of espionage-related behind enemy lines intel with him.

Best of all, he is closely aligned with the size and style of current Rams veteran inside linebacker, Jake Hummel. Hummel stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 229 pounds. Field stands 6-foot-0 and weighs 222 pounds. So the team has a 'template' player profile to compare Fields to instantly. But Fields brings a bit of insurance to the team as well as intel. After all the guy appeared in 45 games and started 10 games, so he is not without some merits. For comparison and contrast, injured Troy Reeder appeared in 89 games and started 37 of them.

Ultimately, an NFL roster is optimally constructed when the team invests in the right depth at the right positions to endure the 17-game NFL season. Fields may not be a long-term solution for this team. But he makes an ideal emergency 'donut,' to get this team safely to the next stop.

As always, thanks for reading.

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