The Los Angeles Rams built a roster that looks loaded almost everywhere, but the biggest question coming out of cutdown day is hard to miss: why only four cornerbacks?
On paper, this team has no shortage of firepower. Matthew Stafford is back with Stetson Bennett IV and Ty Simpson in the quarterback room.
Kyren Williams and Blake Corum headline a three-man running back group. The Rams kept five tight ends in Tyler Higbee, Colby Parkinson, Davis Allen, Terrance Ferguson, and Max Klare, and they’re rolling into the season with seven receivers after bringing Tutu Atwell back into the mix with Puka Nacua, Davante Adams, Jordan Whittington, Konata Mumpfield, Xavier Smith, and CJ Daniels.
Even the offensive line goes nine deep, with Alaric Jackson, Steve Avila, Coleman Shelton and Kevin Dotson among the core pieces.
That kind of depth looks impressive until you compare it to the other side of the ball. Los Angeles is carrying six defensive linemen - Aaron Donald, Poona Ford, Kobie Turner, and Braden Fiske are part of that group - plus five edge rushers in Myles Garrett, Byron Young, Josaiah Stewart, Desjuan Johnson, and Wesley Bailey.
There are also four inside linebackers. And then comes the thin spot: only four cornerbacks on the initial 53-man roster.
That’s where the construction starts to feel shaky.
The Rams are leaning on Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson as their top two cornerbacks, and that part makes sense. They’re the clear starting-caliber options, and Emmanuel Forbes Jr and Josh Wallace round out the group.
But even with those four in place, the margin for error is razor-thin. One injury changes everything.
Los Angeles knows the position has been turned over in a major way. Just two of the five cornerbacks from last year’s initial 53-man roster made it back in 2026, which makes this one of the most heavily reshaped units on the team.
The Rams waived Cam Lampkin, Steven Gilmore, and Nyzier Fourqurean, with the obvious hope that some of those names can be brought back on the practice squad. But for now, the roster is set up with very little cover at one of the league’s most exposed positions.
What makes the choice even harder to explain is how many spots were devoted elsewhere. Seven receivers and five tight ends means 12 players crowding two spots that often overlap in how they’re used.
Los Angeles clearly wants options in the passing game, and the five-tight-end approach fits that thinking. The Rams led the NFL in 13-personnel usage in 2025, and Sean McVay seems committed to keeping that package in play.
Klare’s arrival only adds to that plan.
Still, there’s a difference between being versatile and being overloaded. If the fifth tight end is only seeing occasional snaps while a cornerback is forced into heavy duty because of an injury, the tradeoff becomes obvious fast. The same goes for the seventh receiver.
And that matters because modern NFL offenses live in three-receiver sets. Opposing quarterbacks spend plenty of time attacking nickel and dime looks, which means cornerbacks are constantly asked to hold up in single coverage.
If one of McDuffie’s or Watson’s hamstrings tightens, the ripple effects could be immediate. Forbes might have to play far more than expected.
Wallace could be pushed into a bigger role. McDuffie could be asked to handle different responsibilities.
A safety might even need to slide into cornerback work.
That’s a lot to ask from a group with almost no cushion.
The Rams do have a front that can make life miserable for quarterbacks. Donald and Garrett give Chris Shula the kind of pressure package that can change a game without much blitzing, while Turner and Fiske add more disruption inside. In the best-case version of this defense, the pass rush masks a lot.
But roster building can’t rely on everything going right. Even the strongest front seven can’t fully erase problems in the secondary. Eventually, somebody has to cover.
McVay and Les Snead clearly decided that keeping the offense stocked with weapons and personnel flexibility was worth the risk. Now they’re betting that four cornerbacks will be enough to carry them through.
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