Re-setting the Rams depth chart after Week 1 of the preseason
Xavier Smith #19 open the Rams preseason with exciting punt returns (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images) | Getty ImagesIt took awhile for the Los Angeles Rams to get their offense on track, but they hit stride for two scores in the fourth quarter, knocking off the Kansas City Chiefs 20-12 in Arrowhead Stadium. It was a case of the two opposing coaches, Rams Sean McVay and Chiefs Andy Reid, being on the same wavelength. Dont show anything, offense, defense, or special teams, to the opposition.The Rams sat 41 players, so any re-setting of the depth chart is strictly on the lower rungs. Why are these bottom half of the roster battles worth our time? Its all about finding depth for a 17 -game regular season. The 2026 roster will be a tough one to crack and barring injuries, there be as few as five open roster possibilities for 30+players to scramble for.On Friday before the game, I surmised about what and who I would be watching out for in the opener. Now comes the review of how things turned out. The quotes are from that article, the numbers in parentheses are how many snaps played and the reset concerns possible depth chart change. Quarterbackif Simpson can simply get the team in and out of the huddle, show he can make the proper reads, and put the ball where it belongs, Bootleg counter passes were pretty much the rule until later in the game. Not a particularly varied air attack, although there was one RPO, not something the McVay offense has used much with the personnel hes had.Stetson Bennett (15) played two drives and looked a bit off target. The Rams braintrust got him off the field after a field goal scoring drive. Ty Simpson (39) did exactly what was needed. Earth-shattering? No, but a smooth maiden voyage and certainly enough to give Rams fans a sense of optimism for the future.Reset: The Rams likely wont announce it officially and Bennett may very well continue to take his reps with the second team, but Simpson is clearly the better option to call upon in an emergency.Running backTheres not a lot of rungs on the ladder for Jarquez Hunter to ascendGenerally, the run attack was simply lackluster throughout the game, just a a few sparklers in a sea of simple straight ahead dive plays. Jarquez Hunter (21) broke a play outside from a clogged line of scrimmage. Jordan Waters (11) broke through a heavy box for a big gain late. Dean Conners (22) had a couple of touchdown catches near the goal line. L.A. did not use many true drop backs, sorunning back pass blocking wasnt a real problem.Reset: Not a lot of movement. Ronnie Rivers did not play, a strong hint that hes locked in. I find it difficult to believe the Rams will part with Hunter after two seasons, but he does have Conners, with his third down back skills, breathing down his neck for RB#4.Dean Connors Preseason Week 1 every touch pic.twitter.com/TimbjtYMeg Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) August 16, 2026Wide receiverSo far, there is still no clear-cut WR#3. So, it will be about trying to get a read on who is making hay for that roleWelcome to the ghost of McVay offenses past. The Rams opened the preseason using predominantly three wide receiver sets. Its likely a bit of a smokescreen, but it gives fans a good look at wide receiver depth. One thing really stood out, the blocking by the receivers was porr overall.Tyler Scott (46) led in reps and made a nice diving catch, his only target. Xavier Harris (39) was close behind, charting four short catches and a couple of nice punt returns. The stage didnt appear to big for CJ Daniels (36), he led the unit with five targets, but only pulled down two. Brennan Presley (20) took right up where he left off last preseason, showing off ability to run with the ball in his hands. Tru Edwards (16) was quiet and Mario Williams (0) only saw action on two kickoff returns.Reset: Behind the Rams Top 4, none of whom suited up, there would appear to be a good battle for what should be, two roster spots. Smith did not cede any ground. Presley was the biggest gainer, showing off his off versatility and burst. But would the Rams consider keeping two small receivers? Daniels was not distinctive, but didnt have any glaring problems, while conversely, Scott needs to show out to wrest away a roster spot. Edwards and Williams look to have taken a step back.Tight endhow the Rams line them up, will they lean right into the multi-tight end sets or save it for the regular season?The big news was that the L.A. offense eschewed multiple tight end formations. By my unofficial count, the Rams used three 12 sets and not a single play with three tight ends on the field. Max Klare (36) played the lions share of snaps and was exactly as advertised, a gifted receiver with iffy blocking. Mark Redman (19) was the backup looked solid all-around. Dan Villari (3) and Rohan Jones (1) mopped up late.Reset: Klare is clearly in, just getting growing reps. He really needs work on his blocking. he had, at least, five blown blocks in the run game. Redman clearly puts space between himself and the two undrafted rookies, Villari and Jones, in the practice squad battle.Offensive lineAs much as I would like to see Keagan Trost in live action, the offensive line depth, or rather the lack of it, may not allow itOuch, the biggest takeaway was Keagan Trusts hamstring injury. It appeared to happen on special teams, during the Rams opening field goal. The starting lineup was a bit surprising, LT Austin Blaske (54), LG Bill Murray (36), C Dylan McMahon (51), RG Beaux Limmer (34), and RT Keagan Trost (15). Blaske played the entire game, moving to guard in the fourth quarter and acquitted himself well. Murray, McMahon, and Limmer played well also. Trost really moved defenders in the run game before leaving. Blake Hance stepped in at right tackle and had his struggles. In the second half, Wyatt Bowles (25) came in at guard for Murray and was on par with his play last preseason. Bryce Henderson (15) looked pretty good as well, finishing the game at left tackle and participating on both touchdown drives.Reset: Much depends on the severity of Trusts hamstring injury. If he and Justin Dedich dont get back soon, the depth chart will be in flux. Based on this game, Blaske should earn some practice reps as second team tackle. It appears the Rams will go with McMahon behind Coleman Shelton and Limmer gets a full-time home at guard. Murray and Bowles hold their depth positons. Henderson moves past Hance at tackle. Arcuri, for whatever reason, did not play. The pecking order of this unit may not be set until final cuts.Special teamsLike everyone else, just seeing an improved overall effort would be a startGood and bad. The specialists were solid and the return game looked pretty good, but coverage was still lacking and again, appears a sore spot. Loved the Rams using double-teams to block opposing gunners.Punter Ethan Evans reportedly worked on technique over the off season, his stroke looked short and coordinated. Boomers that appeared to have good height.Placekicker Harrison Meevis, hasnt lost any girth, but was again dead-center between the posts. He also did the kickoffs, which Evans handled last year. Long snapper Joe Cardona was true and got in on a tackle in coverage. Brennan Presley and Mario Williams each had a pair of good kick returns. Tyler Scott was deep in the second half, but did not get a touch.Reset: Certainly none on the specialists, Harris took advantage of the breathing room to have a couple of nice returns, he threw a spear into the ground to defend his punt return job. Kickoff returner #2 behind Jordan Whittington remains in play.Defensive interiorIts fair to want to see and expect a little more from Ty HamiltonI didnt track it, but it appeared the Rams used a good mix of four and five man fronts. L.A. also used a deep rotation throughout the game. Generally, the line was just adequate at controlling the line of scrimmage and didnt provide much pass rush pressure. An underwhelming performance.The two undrafted rookies, Jaxson Moi (35) and Payrton Zdroik (31) led in snaps. Bill Norton (24) held ground, but didnt offer any pass rush pressure. Larrell Murchisons (22) experience had little or no impact. Although Tim Keenan (21) booked five tackles, four were back off the line of scrimmage and he was the secondary contact player. Ty Hamilton (19) would go from collapsing his blocker to being pushed backward.Reset: Hard to make a case for anyone taking the DL#5 role by the horns after this game. I guess you could argue that Norton was the best of the bunch. Hamilton was too inconsistent. Keenan was moved too easily. Murchison was invisible. Zdroik and Moi played hard, but arent nearly ready.EdgeWith five backupsL.A. has enough for preseason gamesEven so, Desjuan Johnson (33) was involved in the rotation well into the game and he lost control of the edge on numerous instances. Wesley Bailey (43) looked the part and played hard, but didnt show many pass rush moves in his tool kit. Nor did he show that he could bend and flatten out around opposing tackles. Darryl Peterson (32) looked like he was a half-step slow and in need of more polish. Keir Thomas (32) looks leaner this year, but I didnt see an upgrade in burst/explosion.Reset: Johnson should still the guy at E#4, hes proven he can compete in games that count. Im not sure about Tomon Fox, he didnt play and no reports on injury status. Although hes a journeyman and I projected him as a camp body, he does have special teams experience. Keir Thomas is a coaching staff favorite, but needs to show more.Down goes the QB @CBSLosAngeles | https://t.co/R5m5kJYp8Kpic.twitter.com/mgjDacnX4j Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) August 15, 2026Off-ball linebackerShaun Dolac wont be seeing much preseason actionwatching undrafted Hill-Green to see if his college game can transitionThe Rams only used three linebackers, Nikhai Hill-Green (70), newcomer Monty Rice (31), and college edge Daniel Rickert (21). Not sure if Elias Neal is injured, no reports. Hill-Green played every snap and didnt shine, nor falter. I did notice that he had some struggles getting off bigger blockers. Rice just joined the Rams a couple of days ago and is a likely camp body. Rickert is also a newcomer and chipped in five tackles in a short duration on the field.Reset: Hill-Green is another player I favored in my post-OTA opening 53. While dont think he did any damage to his chances, he really has to show out, particularly on special teams. Nowhere to go for the others.SafetySince I have put Nick Anderson on my post-OTA opening 53, his game evaluation will in my notesL.A. played a lot of two-high umbrella zone coverage early and the some single-high later. Very soft stuff and did not employ their big nickel and dime personnel packages.Nick Anderson (51) didnt get a lot of run in camp, but was a pleasant surprise. He made a couple of mistakes, but generally looked in command, played fast, and covered a lot of ground. Tanner Ingle (39) shoots downhill like a missile, but way too often is out of control and and cant maintain his angles. Similar to last preseason, Nate Valcarcel (30) acquitted himself well, he can pursue and tackle. Alex Cook (38) was quiet on defense.Reset: Anderson gets a leg up on making the opening roster as S#5, he also was in on 16 special teams plays. He was the personal protector on punts. Valcarcel moves up in the practice squad battle. Ingle and Cook fall back.CornerbackAlthough not a big role, finding out who wins the CB#4 does set depthThe Rams opted to predominantly use three cornerbacks for their nickel defense. They switched between zone and man. CB#4 favorite Josh Wallace didnt play, and Im not sure that anyones Saturday effort moved the needle much.AZ Hamilton (51), coming back after a late start to camp, gave some hints as to how he could potentially develop. He did miss an open-field tackle that would have went for a loss, but consummated his others and made a heady play, reading the QBs eyes and reacting into a passing lane to break up a pass. Cam Lampkin (46) played both slot and outside, he was quiet and missed a couple of tackles by not getting under control. Alex Johnson (37) looked to often be over-powered. Undrafted Nyzier Fourqurean (43) got extended work and held his mud. As did veteran Zech McPhearson (20).Reset: Although Lampkin has reportedly had a strong camp, Saturdays play shows that Hamilton may have made up a little ground. The others dont strike me as much more than camp bodies.But Sean McVay doesnt value preseason gamesThis may very well be so, undoubtedly the L.A. braintrust has an idea of what the final roster will look like. But things happen, just like Trosts hamstring, and Dedichs freak Fourth of July accident, and the possible suspensions to Puka Nacua and Alaric Jackson. Need I go on?Smarter football guys than me say that preseason football isnt about who can play in the NFL, Its about weeding out those who cant. Indeed, the games dont count, except for those four or five gems found in a huge field of prospects, that fill out a strong, deep roster. Like the Rams in 2026.That is why I enjoy preseason football.
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