The Rams are down to the point in the preseason where every snap starts carrying extra weight.
With the third and final exhibition game coming Thursday against the Chargers, the reasons for playing are getting narrower. Some players are out there because their special-teams role leaves no choice.
Others need more reps to satisfy the coaches. And for a few, this is one last chance to flash for the Rams - or for another team watching closely.
That reality makes the roster picture a little sharper, and a lot less forgiving. Cutdowns arrive Sunday, right after the preseason finale, and some veterans who have stuck around before are suddenly looking vulnerable.
Three names stand out on the wrong side of that line: Larrell Murchison, Jarquez Hunter and Keir Thomas.
Murchison has spent the last three seasons hanging onto a place in the mix, appearing in 34 games with three starts. Even in limited work, he’s produced four sacks and 30 tackles on just 432 defensive snaps.
But the Rams have added Ty Hamilton in 2025 and Tim Keenan III in 2026, and that’s made life harder for the veteran defensive lineman. Keenan is a rookie, so he should be protected for development.
Hamilton sat out the second preseason game, which points to a roster spot of his own. That leaves Murchison fighting for what may be a shrinking opportunity, and he could wind up back on the practice squad to open the season.
Hunter’s situation is different. The second-year running back has actually played well this preseason, piling up 21 carries for 103 yards and a touchdown.
But the numbers are working against him. The Rams are expected to keep three quarterbacks and no fewer than five receivers, four tight ends and three running backs.
That running back group already includes Kyren Williams, Blake Corum and Ronnie Rivers. Hunter hasn’t been pushed out by a direct beatdown in competition so much as squeezed by the roster math.
And with uncertainty around left tackle Alaric Jackson and receiver Puka Nacua, the Rams may need to keep extra bodies elsewhere, which only makes Hunter’s path tougher.
Thomas is in the most precarious spot of the three. The edge rusher has had chances before, but the production hasn’t followed.
In 17 games over four seasons, he has 13 tackles and still hasn’t recorded his first sack. His season-ending injury last summer put him into a true make-or-break situation in 2026, and the preseason hasn’t helped.
After two games, he had already slipped behind Desjuan Johnson and rookie Wesley Bailey in the edge-rusher pecking order. Now he’s on preseason injured reserve, and his shot at the 53-man roster appears finished.
Sean McVay and the Rams will make the decisions they believe best serve the team, even if that means some tough calls on players fans have grown used to seeing around. In a year like this, that could mean parting with talent that still has value. For Los Angeles, the painful part may not just be the cuts themselves, but how many of those players end up back on the practice squad.
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