For Rams fans, the preseason always comes with a built-in advantage: it tells you plenty about the roster without needing a guess-and-hope approach. Sean McVay isn’t planning to put his starters on the field, and he won’t use the primary backups or rotation players, either.
That leaves preseason snaps as a pretty clean signal. If a player isn’t suiting up, he’s probably already safe.
That makes the coming games less about headline names and more about the last few jobs on the 53-man roster. The bulk of the roster is already taking shape, but the final spots are where the real scramble begins. Players on the fringe have a short window to force their way into the conversation.
On offense, the roster picture is mostly settled, even if a few spots still carry some intrigue. The quarterback group is listed as Matthew Stafford, Stetson Bennett, and Ty Simpson.
At receiver, the group is Puka Nacua, Davante Adams, Konata Mumpfield, Jordan Whittington, CJ Daniels, and Xavier Smith. The tight ends are Colby Parkinson, Tyler Higbee, Terrance Ferguson, and Max Klare, while the running backs are Kyren Williams, Blake Corum, and Jarquez Hunter.
Up front, the offensive line includes Alaric Jackson, Steve Avila, Coleman Shelton, Kevin Dotson, Warren McClendon, David Quessenberry, Keagen Trost, Justin Dedich, and Beaux Limmer.
There are still a few moving parts on that side, though. If Alaric Jackson is suspended to start the season, or if Justin Dedich stays on Injured Reserve, the Rams would likely bring in AJ Arcuri and/or Dylan McMahon.
Wyatt Bowles is also a name to keep in view. Beyond that, TE Davis Allen, RB Ronnie Rivers, and WR Brennan Pressley are all still fighting for a place, but they’ll need strong preseason showings and a little help to break through.
The defense is where things get crowded fast. The listed defensive line includes Kobie Turner, Poona Ford, Braden Fiske, Tyler Davis, Tim Keenan III, Ty Hamilton, and Bill Norton.
At outside linebacker, it’s Myles Garrett, Byron Young, Josaiah Stewart, and Desjuan Johnson. Inside linebackers are Nate Landman, Omar Speights, Shaun Dolac Grant Stuard.
The cornerbacks are Jaylen Watson, Trent McDuffie, Emmanuel Forbes, and Cam Lampkin, while the safeties are Kam Curl, Kamren Kinchens, Jaylen McCollough, and Nate Varcarcel. Quentin Lake and Zech McPhearson are listed at nickel back.
That side of the roster looks like the real battleground. The Rams have to trim 17 defensive backs down to 10 roster spots, and that alone guarantees some tense decisions.
The defensive front is just as tight, with 11 players fighting for no more than seven spots. Edge rusher could be the swing area, too, with veteran Tomon Fox and rookie Wesley Bailey both capable of pushing their way onto the roster.
Special teams are straightforward on paper. Joe Cardona is listed at long snapper, Harrison Mevis at kicker, and Ethan Evans at punter.
Even there, though, there’s some competition in the background. It was tempting to include a return specialist and a few veteran additions whose value leans special teams, but those candidates - Stuard, Dolac, and Smith, for example - were left out to keep the list aligned with previous seasons.
The Rams are closing in on the 2026 preseason, which means football is back, sort of. For the players on the edge, it also means the clock is ticking fast.
In Other News...
Rams Suddenly Have A Puka Nacua Problem They Can't Ignore
Puka Nacua's week took an unwelcome turn at Rams practice, where the wideout exited early after dealing with an unspecified injury. Sean McVay did not have much clarity afterward on how serious it might be, which is hardly the kind of update Los Angeles wants with its preseason opener against the Chiefs looming and a receiver room built around Nacua and Davante Adams.
The timing is especially awkward because the Rams are trying to sort out their early-season offensive rhythm, and Nacua is central to that plan. Adding to the concern, NFL insider Adam Schefter reported that Nacua is also among several players who could be facing a suspension, leaving Los Angeles with more uncertainty than it probably expected around one of its most important playmakers. [Read more 🡒]
Rams May Already Regret Letting This Young O-Lineman Go
The Rams offensive line depth has already become a point of concern, and the timing makes one roster decision from last year look a lot more notable. Among the cuts that included linebacker Chris Paul Jr. and offensive lineman Willie Lampkin, the Lampkin move stands out because the undrafted lineman had shown the kind of interior versatility teams value, working at both center and guard before his preseason injury changed his path.
For a Rams team still sorting through options up front, especially at center, Lampkin looks like the sort of developmental piece that could have helped stabilize the back end of the line. Instead, he ended up elsewhere after the preseason, and now Los Angeles is left to wonder whether parting with a player who could handle multiple spots was a little too aggressive for a group that cant afford many more questions. [Read more 🡒]
Puka Nacua Just Put The Rams Offense In A Tough Spot
Puka Nacuas training camp work came to an abrupt stop when the Rams wide receiver went down with a lower-body injury and left practice early with medical staff. For a team already counting on him to be a central piece of the passing game, any interruption in camp matters, especially when the offense is still trying to build rhythm and get its top options on the field together.
Sean McVay confirmed the injury but stopped short of offering specifics, leaving Nacuas status in a holding pattern for now. The uncertainty lands at a difficult time for the Rams, who are also navigating the broader distractions around Nacua as the NFL looks into separate allegations tied to an antisemitic gesture and a civil lawsuit claiming physical misconduct. [Read more 🡒]