The Rams are down to one preseason game and one final round of roster math.
After opening the exhibition slate 2-0, Los Angeles gets the Chargers on Thursday before every team has to get to the 53-player limit by 6 p.m. ET Sunday.
Most of the core is already in place. Matthew Stafford leads an offense that includes Puka Nacua, Davante Adams and Kyren Williams, while Myles Garrett, Byron Young, Kobie Turner and Braden Fiske headline a defense that looks largely settled.
The real suspense now lives in the margins.
A detailed projection from ClutchPoints has the Rams carrying three quarterbacks, five tight ends and a flexible secondary. That read is close to recent projections from ESPN and Rams Wire, though the exact totals at receiver and along the offensive line vary a bit from outlet to outlet.
Quarterback remains the most interesting battle. Stafford is obviously locked in, but Sean McVay still has not settled on a backup.
First-round pick Ty Simpson and Stetson Bennett IV are both still in the mix, and each has made a case in the preseason. Simpson went 21 of 25 for 190 yards and two touchdowns in the 20-12 win over Kansas City.
Bennett responded with two rushing scores and steady work in the pocket during the 34-0 shutout of New Orleans. McVay told reporters Monday that Simpson will play Thursday while the staff continues to sort out the rotation, per ESPN’s Sarah Barshop.
Sean McVay said he has not decided which quarterback will back up Matthew Stafford. McVay said he is still working out how he will allocate quarterback reps on Thursday but said Ty Simpson will play.
The projection keeps both Simpson and Bennett on the 53 and sends Matthew Caldwell to the practice squad. Bennett’s familiarity with McVay’s system gives him a short-term edge for the No. 2 job, but Simpson’s arm talent and draft status make him hard to move on from.
The backfield looks more straightforward at the top, with Kyren Williams and Blake Corum leading the way. Ronnie Rivers also makes the cut thanks to his special-teams work and return value.
Jarquez Hunter, a 2025 fourth-round pick, appears safe after scoring on a 12-yard touchdown against the Saints. Dean Connors is the tougher call.
The undrafted rookie caught both of Simpson’s touchdowns against Kansas City and stays in the conversation as a practice-squad candidate.
At receiver, the projection goes with five names: Nacua, Adams, Jordan Whittington, Konata Mumpfield and Xavier Smith. Smith’s 40-yard punt return against the Chiefs, along with his coverage work, seems to have won him the last spot. That leaves CJ Daniels, a sixth-round pick, on the outside in this forecast, with the practice squad still a possible landing place.
Tight end is where the roster gets unusually deep. Tyler Higbee, Colby Parkinson, Davis Allen, Terrance Ferguson and second-rounder Max Klare all make the cut in this projection, which fits the way the Rams leaned on multiple-tight-end sets last season. Allen’s return to individual drills Monday after a quadriceps issue also helps settle one of the position’s bubble questions.
The offensive line projection lands at nine players, with Trost and Dedich among the names still being watched, while the edge group settles at five with Bailey and Johnson in the mix. Bailey made a strong push with five tackles, a sack, three quarterback hits and a forced fumble against New Orleans, which has pushed him onto a lot of 53-man lists.
Up front on defense, the interior line projects as Turner, Fiske, Poona Ford, Tyler Davis and Tyler Hamilton. On the outside, Garrett and Young are joined by Josaiah Stewart, Desjuan Johnson and Wesley Bailey.
Inside linebacker comes out at four: Omar Speights, Nate Landman, Shaun Dolac and Grant Stuard.
The secondary is projected to carry 10 players, split into five corners and five safeties. At corner, the list includes Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson, Emmanuel Forbes Jr., Josh Wallace and Cam Lampkin.
At safety, Quentin Lake, Kam Curl, Kamren Kinchens, Jaylen McCollough and Alex Cook are the names. Cook’s 100-yard interception return for a touchdown against the Saints stands out as the decisive play in his favor, according to the team’s official recap.
Special teams appear set with Harrison Mevis at kicker, Ethan Evans at punter and Joe Cardona at long snapper. Smith is the projected punt returner, while Whittington is currently ahead of Rivers on kickoffs.
Thursday’s game against the Chargers should sort out a few of the last undecided jobs and give the fringe players one more chance to change the picture. The Rams already look built for heavy personnel groupings on offense and multiple fronts on defense, so the last cuts will come down to a familiar NFL balancing act: proven special teams help versus the upside of younger draft picks. Once the 53 is finalized, the next wave of decisions will come on the practice squad and in any late additions before the September 10 opener against the 49ers in Melbourne.
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