St. Louis Rams' projected roster: Aug. 25/ Wagoner

I’m gonna give a go at this. I’ll amend Nick’s takes and see how we do.

St. Louis Rams’ projected roster
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/10663/st-louis-rams-projected-roster-5

Examining the St. Louis Rams’ roster:

(Note: WR Stedman Bailey is expected to make the team but is suspended for the first four games of the season and will not count on the initial 53-man roster.)

QUARTERBACKS (2)

Shaun Hill
Austin Davis
Garrett Gilbert Mack: Practice Squad. If something happens call him up, but we need the roster spot. I’ve looked and there’s nothing out there. I seriously doubt we add anyone. They don’t know the system, so they’d have to be pretty special and what special QB gets let loose?

The devastating loss of quarterback Sam Bradford leaves the Rams with just the three players mentioned above on the roster. But let’s be real, the Rams aren’t likely to keep Davis and Gilbert on the roster and having Davis as the No. 2 is a questionable proposition in itself. It’s probably safe to expect the Rams to pursue a veteran backup for Hill meaning Gilbert is listed here more as a placeholder than a projection.

RUNNING BACKS (4) Mack: No change unless Trey Watts has another big game. I think he’s staking a claim and is already on the PS. He’d already be on the roster, but Reynolds is a core STer.

Zac Stacy
Benny Cunningham
Tre Mason
Chase Reynolds

Isaiah Pead is officially on injured reserve, leaving these four in good shape but the intriguing name here is Trey Watts. He performed well against Cleveland and will get another chance against Miami. The Rams carried five last year and if Watts has another strong outing and proves capable on special teams, he might elbow his way into the mix.

RECEIVERS (5) Mack: No change. I think Pettis is waived once Bailey comes back. Bad luck for him since he’d have better luck finding a job being waived now, but that’s the NFL.

Kenny Britt
Brian Quick
Tavon Austin
Chris Givens
Austin Pettis

With Bailey suspended the first four weeks, the Rams could take a longer look at another wideout for the first quarter of the season but there isn’t one who has really emerged as worthy. Givens reminded many why he deserves to stick against the Browns but Pettis has been nearly invisible. Without Bailey, it stands to reason Pettis would stay but upon Bailey’s return, that could change.

TIGHT ENDS (4)

Jared Cook
Lance Kendricks
Cory Harkey
Justice Cunningham Mack: All along I’ve been in the Alex Bayer camp, but can’t deny that Cunningham is the better blocker on a run first team. Still, Bayer catches everything thrown his way…AS A ROOKIE… in a Schottenheimer offense… which isn’t normal. If they even TRY to let this kid go, he’ll be snapped up in a heartbeat, which is why I say…DON’T. You find a steal, KEEP HIM.

The first three are probably pretty safe, but the Rams could have an intriguing competition for a potential fourth tight end if they opt to keep four. Cunningham vs. Alex Bayer continues to be one of the more interesting battles on the roster. Cunningham is the better blocker, while Bayer has shown more as a pass-catcher. It’s really difficult to determine which flavor the Rams prefer but I’m going back to Cunningham because of his value as a blocker on special teams.

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN (9) Mack: No change. I trust Coach Boo whether he chooses Washington or Bond. I expect that Barrett Jones will be on IR.

Jake Long
Joe Barksdale
Scott Wells
Greg Robinson
Rodger Saffold
Davin Joseph
Brandon Washington
Tim Barnes
Mike Person

The Rams have serious questions about their depth on the offensive line. Barrett Jones’ situation remains in flux and few of the backups have stood out. Washington finally got back to work against the Browns and played pretty well at left tackle. He can play inside and out so he pushes Travis Bond out for now. Some with the Rams like Bond, though, and he could still factor.

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN (10)

Chris Long
Robert Quinn
William Hayes
Eugene Sims
Michael Brockers
Kendall Langford
Aaron Donald
Alex Carrington
Ethan Westbrooks
Michael Sam Mack: As others have noted, the current rules really emphasize the pass rush moreso than ever. With William Hayes’ health not proven and Carrington not showing up in games, the Rams can’t afford to let go of production. Westbrooks is the highest rated 4-3 DE in all of football according to PFF and Sam’s got 3 sacks, multiple hurries and enough production that the Rams will need that for our rotation.

This is the toughest decision on the roster right now. Westbrooks and Michael Sam have both done enough in camp and the preseason to stake a claim to a spot. Jeff Fisher has hinted at a different look in terms of roster composition this year and it’s not out of the realm of possibility they could keep both. It’s hard to project where they could chop elsewhere to create space right now. Quarterback is one possible solution but the Rams aren’t in position to go with just two given Bradford’s injury history. Carrington hasn’t done much in the preseason and I wonder how safe he is but with Brockers and Langford battling ankle issues, it seems the Rams need him right now. The other X factor here is Hayes’ health. He has practiced but still not appeared in a preseason game as he returns from offseason surgeries.

LINEBACKERS (6) Mack: No change. I haven’t seen any other LB do anything to unseat these guys.

James Laurinaitis
Alec Ogletree
Jo-Lonn Dunbar
Ray-Ray Armstrong
Daren Bates
Phillip Steward

Barring injury, it’s hard to imagine a scenario in which the first five don’t make it. But the sixth spot is more of a question mark. That spot is anybody’s guess. Steward stays there for now but one would think it comes down entirely to special teams.

CORNERBACKS (6)

Janoris Jenkins
Trumaine Johnson
Lamarcus Joyner
Brandon McGee
E.J. Gaines
Marcus Roberson Mack: I’m sorry, but how can you watch Greg Reid at maybe 5’9″ 190 in uniform take on a 245# FB, take him out without hesitation and not love that? He’s a sure tackler and not a DB to make a “business decision”. There’s no matador in this guy. I see him improving in coverage AND he’s already a little guy who makes the bigger guys wince a little. That’s the kind of guy I want on my team. I like Roberson, but after watching Reid play, I’ll be disappointed if he gets away.

OK, so we are taking the plunge and adding a sixth corner here which seems even more likely with Johnson battling a knee injury. But it’s not easy to choose one from the group of Roberson, Greg Reid and Darren Woodard. Roberson has flashed the most in coverage, Reid is the best tackler and Woodard is sort of the happy medium between the two. We’ll go with Roberson because he’s gotten the most opportunities, an indication the coaching staff likes his potential.

SAFETIES (4) Mack: No change. I had hope Christian Bryant would show up, but his injury took longer and looks like he’s a PS guy at this point.

T.J. McDonald
Rodney McLeod
Maurice Alexander
Cody Davis

I’ve teased a possible change here for a couple of weeks but hesitated because it’s been hard to figure out where the other roster spot will be allocated. But it’s time to make the move because none of the other safeties have really done much of anything to stand out. It’s possible that a player like Matt Daniels could get another shot because of special teams but the Rams would do so at the expense of a more talented player at another position. Plus, Lamarcus Joyner can play safety in a pinch.

SPECIALISTS (3) Mack: This is a fantastic trio. I wouldn’t want to change a thing.

Johnny Hekker
Greg Zuerlein
Jake McQuaide

It would take a serious injury to disturb this strong trio.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 3 months ago by Mackeyser.

Can’t cut Reynolds. He’s a CORE Special Teamer. He’s part of what made our ST the #1 unit in the league. You don’t just dump a guy like that for a guy with wiggle. And I really like Trey Watts…