The Los Angeles Rams wrapped up training camp on Tuesday with their final practice at UC Irvine and after doing so, they released their first depth chart of the summer. It’s an unofficial projection of how the team looks right now so it has to be taken with a grain of salt, but it does give us an idea of who’s expected to start and who still has work to do.
The Rams will take the field for their first preseason game on Saturday night against the Chargers, which will help sort out key position battles even more – including left tackle, center, nose tackle and backup quarterback.
Los Angeles listed five positions with two players at the same level. For example, Joe Noteboom and Alaric Jackson are co-starters at left tackle, as are Brian Allen and Coleman Shelton at center.
This depth chart will change by the week but here’s a look at the first projection of the preseason.
Offense
No real surprises on offense other than maybe Tutu Atwell starting at wide receiver over Ben Skowronek. As previously mentioned, the Rams have co-starters listed at left tackle and center, while Stetson Bennett and Brett Rypien got the “or” designation at backup quarterback, too.
Cam Akers is the unquestioned starter at running back, with rookie Steve Avila also getting the nod at left guard – which is hardly a surprise given the reps he’s gotten this offseason.
The Rams listed Logan Bruss as a right tackle, too, after McVay said they were moving him there full-time moving forward. Warren McClendon Jr. is behind him at right tackle.
Avila gets the nod at left guard, with Tremayne Anchrum Jr. listed as the starting right guard. That’s somewhat expected based on how the snaps have broken down in camp but it’s good to see at least a little clarity at those spots.
Defense
The Rams clearly don’t know how their starting defensive line will look yet. Marquise Copeland and Earnest Brown IV are co-starters at defensive end, while Bobby Brown III and Kobie Turner are listed together at nose tackle. It’s somewhat surprising that Turner is slotted at nose tackle, given that he’s only 288 pounds compared to the 324-pound Brown.
Yeast gets the initial nod over Quentin Lake next to Jordan Fuller at safety. John Johnson III just joined the team on Monday so it’s not surprising that he’s a backup on this depth chart. He’s expected to start early on, though.
Cobie Durant, Derion Kendrick and Ahkello Witherspoon are all starting cornerbacks in the secondary, though Kendrick is currently out with a hamstring injury.
Byron Young has the early lead at outside linebacker next to Michael Hoecht, with Nick Hampton and Daniel Hardy working on the second-team defense right now. All of them should play meaningful snaps this season, however.
Special teams
We knew who the starting punter, kicker and long snapper would be, considering there’s only one of each on the roster right now. What we didn’t know was how the return game would look.
Puka Nacua is the primary punt returner right now, with Kyren Williams returning kickoffs. We’ll see if that’s how the Rams open things on Saturday night.
