Preseason Post-Game 2 Depth Chart (Defense)

[Merlin]

DL
2018 Roster Count: 7
DL1 Donald
DL2 Brockers
DL3 SJD
DL4 Gaines
DL5 JFM
DL6 Smart
-Fox
Roberts
Jones
Copeland

DL Notes: I haven't been impressed by the bottom 3 guys, so it seems like it's Fox vs the other positions, where maybe they go 6 to gain a better roster with more quality elsewhere. And btw I love Fox and what he brings but those other position groups on defense just damn. Sticking to a solid and balanced-looking 6 right now for that reason.

OLB
2018 Roster Count: 5
OLB1 Fowler
OLB2 Matthews
OLB3 Ebukam
OLB4 Lawler
OLB5 Patrick
OLB6 Okorongkwo
-Young
-Carraway
-Durham

OLB Notes: Lawler used to be a guy I considered to be OLB4 but with the play of this group I am not so sure about that. They will certainly keep 5 of these guys at a minimum, but what I suspect is going to happen is this group will go to 6 because of the roster quality. Going plus one here requires less somewhere else and that will be ILB which is a group Patrick was moved out of. Patrick is basically a dual-backer for us which means he is going to be on the roster IMO.

ILB
2018 Roster Count: 5
ILB1 Littleton
ILB2 Kiser (Injury?)
-Howard
-Hager
-Allen
-Reeder
-Kupp

ILB Notes: this group is by far our weakest on the roster so IMO there are two roster spots left. Three if Kiser is out for significant time. Hager is a pro, but I think he has timed out here and expect his spot to be taken by Allen. My guess is Howard & Allen are ILB3&4. If Kiser loses time it's hard to say, I would guess Hager gets a stay of execution in that event. This group either way has the most competition remaining for the next two preseason games.

S
2018 Roster Count: 4
S1 Weddle
S2 Johnson
S3 Rapp
S4 Christian
-Peterson
-Scott
-Gervase

S Notes: really tough one here with Peterson showing well and Scott being a guy they want on teams, but barring a trade of Christian there is zero room. S5 vs the other position groups will be a tough sell I think, so I expect them to stay at 4.

CB
2018 Roster Count: 6
CB1 Talib
CB2 Peters
CB3 NRC
CB4 Hill
CB5 Peterson
CB6 Long
-Williams
-Deayon
Hatfield

CB Notes: like the OLBs this group is loaded. I would like to say Hill gets squeezed but the Rams love him. So yeah, I think barring a trade the jobs are sewn up through CB6. From there it's hard to think the Rams will stick with only 6 and cut a young player who's been showing well and has some upside. So IMO they'll keep 7 and the DL group will pay the price. Williams vs Deayon looms as a good battle IMO.

Overall Notes: I am really glad I don't have to make the cuts on this side of the ball.

 

[FaulkSF]

Rams may need to move Matthews to ILB since we have an abundance of talent at OLB.

 

[nighttrain]

Rams may need to move Matthews to ILB since we have an abundance of talent at OLB.

and then hopefully no more 5 Yds per carry up the middle
train

 

[OldSchool]

I pointed out in another thread and you mention it here. But preseason stand out Patrick was an ILB in college I could easily see them moving him back in if Kiser is seriously injured.

 

[oldnotdead]

Patrick needs to play ILB in this scheme. He simply doesn't have the speed to play OLB in Wade's scheme. Patrick is more quick than fast. IMO he's outplayed Kiser who is faster but still simply doesn't "bring it". With Kiser perhaps on his way to IR, it opens the door for Allen and Patrick.

I think the biggest disappointment is how JFM has simply disappeared. That said, the emergence of Ogbo (finally) has been the biggest relief. If he stays healthy, they might have found their bookend to Fowler. Ogbo's game is far more polished than JFM, that much is very clear. Better hand play, quicker and faster, with a nice spin move, have all been evident in just one game. All the guys behind Donald are JAGs so if Ogbo continues to impress I can see them moving JFM inside behind AD. JFM's game is power so it works better inside than as an Edge rusher.

SJD has garnered the majority of snaps but has clearly been outplayed by Gaines. SJD simply can't get penetration, or for the most part get off a block. That has been his problem since day one as a rookie. Something has become pretty evident that Wade may only go with one NT. It's a part-time position as the NT is getting pulled a lot of times from the 2nd down on. Wade did this a lot in San Diego, where he used bigger LB's like he has now in Patrick, Reeder, Young and Durham to plug the double A gaps. It wouldn't surprise me at all if Gaines was the only NT in September and the Rams go heavy on LBs. He would use his NT on first down and short yardage.

I can see Wade using something he's only done situationally, more often. Using two 3T's (AD & Brocker) and two Edge rushers with Fowler & Ogbo, while having Ebukam setting the edge on the strong side and two ILB over the A gaps with Littleton and Patrick. Both ILB's can tackle and both are capable of adding a 5th pass rusher. This will also allow Wade the flexibility to not play Ebukam but to bring in Rapp who is an excellent tackler to play that strongside or cover the TE.

Dakota Allen showed up big this week. Both he and Patrick showed they can bring it and they picked a good time to flash. It perhaps opens a door for someone like Reed to make the team if they go unbalanced roster like I think they might, in favor of the defense.

 

[Merlin]

By the way one key with the roster stuff above is Lawler's injury. I have no idea how long he'll be out. Anyone hear anything on this that I missed?

 

[Florida_Ram]

By the way one key with the roster stuff above is Lawler's injury. I have no idea how long he'll be out. Anyone hear anything on this that I missed?

You already know these rules Merlin but with his recent foot surgery, I'm expecting Lawler to be placed on the IR in some capacity.

I'm guessing his 2019 season is probably over unless he's activated after 8 weeks of regular season play.


Injured Reserve (IR)
NFL teams are permitted to place any number of players on Injured Reserve at the start of the season. Any player on the IR list counts against the salary cap, but not against the 53-man roster limit.

These players are ineligible to play again for the same team during the current season, but they can be cut and then go on to sign with another team.

These players may not practice with their team at any time, but can attend team meetings and be around the team. Last year for the first time the NFL changed the IR rules to allow for two NFL players from each team to be eligible to come off IR after eight weeks of being on the list...

IR-Return Designation
Not everyone who ends up on IR has to see their season end for good. Players must remain on IR for eight weeks before being eligible to rejoin their teams in Week 9 via the IR-Return Designation.

The NFL changed the IR-return designation in 2017 so that teams are allowed to bring two players back from IR. Previously, the rule allowed just one player to return from the list.

This was a great change for teams as most clubs have more than one injured player capable of returning at some point in the season.

Explaining PUP, NFI, IR and other NFL roster designations

Everything you need to know about the many roster designations an NFL player can receive heading into the regular season.

www.cincyjungle.com

 

[Merlin]

I wasn't sure what the story was in how long he'll miss. If he's IR then that's good news for our OLBs who are gunning for that last spot, makes it easier. So if the Rams keep 6 OLB (with Patrick counting against the OLB position) the change is the bottom 3 are duking it out for the last spot.