Position Battles
QB1: Jaylen Henderson vs Jameis Winston
The Case: Well let me not sugarcoat this, this isn’t much of a battle anymore. LA was more than ready to start Jameis Winston as they hadn’t taken a QB in the draft up until the end of the 5th round, they got 20 year old Jaylen Henderson and the battle was on. Jaylen has had an impressive preseason not only showing a great dual threat ability, but making good plays from inside the pocket. Jaylen has a fumble issue he needs to clean up, but otherwise barring a disastrous Week 3 Jaylen will be QB1. With Jameis solidified as QB2 at worst, this means Stetson Bennett is either looking at a practice squad stint or a trip to free agency.
HB1: Antonio Gibson vs Kirk Merritt
The Case: At the very least, there will be split carries, similar to the Zach Evans/Kirk Merritt pairing of last season. But Gibson has a chance to increase his workload with a great Week 3. LA plans on giving him a heavy workload to prove himself, as they know what they have in Kirk Merritt already.
WR3: Tutu Atwell vs Julian Fleming
The Case: Fleming has been explosive this preseason. But it’s been against 2nd stringers. Fleming is a very raw route runner right now. With Kupp and Nacua solidified at WR1 and 2 again, the Ram would like a speedster outside the numbers. Fleming will get the starting nod for Week 3 to see if he can have a good game against a starting defense, and if he can’t Tutu will get the nod. Tim Patrick has solidified WR4 with a great preseason. That means whoever loses this battle drops to WR5. A dev trait gained for Fleming would end the battle in his favor immediately.
TE1: Hunter Henry vs Tyler Higbee
The Case: The Rams signed Henry to be the undisputed starting TE barring a newcomer entering from the draft. But Henry’s has had a miserable preseason having 4 drops on 7 targets. Henry will get one more chance to run with the 1s in Week 3, but if he underperforms he will get relegated behind incumbent starter Tyler Higbee. Higbee was a FA pickup after the draft, and the Rams know what they have in Higbee.
Inside DLine 3: DJ Jones vs Gabe Hall
The Case: This isn’t a big battle, and will only matter in 3-4 and 3-3 Cub formations with 2nd round pick Rayshaun Benny and HOF’er Aaron Donald set to play inside every down. Unfortunately the rookie Hall was injured this week and is set to be out until Week 2 of the regular season. This will give DJ Jones a chance to prove himself. But if he doesn’t, he could suffer a quick pull for the rook. A dev trait gained for Hall could make this decision a no-brainer
EGDE: Jadeveon Clowney vs Dylan Brooks vs Chico Bennett Jr
The Case: This is the most convoluted battle to cover. Clowney is the vet, you know what you’re getting with him. Dylan Brooks was a late 3rd round pick, but he is a very raw prospect who is most likely going to be a backup in his first season. It’s hard to see Brooks winning this battle. But 7th round pick Chico Bennett has thrown his name into the ring. Rumor is the Rams want to start Chico with the 1s in Week 3 to see if he can make an impact against starters. A dev trait gained for one of the rookies could heavily influence this battle as well.
CB3: Keion Crossen vs Ro Torrence
The Case: This wasn’t supposed to be a battle, but the 5th round pick Torrence has impressed the coaching staff during preseason to potentially overlook how much of a raw prospect he is. But Crossen has had an equally impressive preseason to date, and it’s looking like Crossen will start the season at CB3 unless Torrence does something extraordinary in Week 3. Torrence could be a threat to rise up the depth chart during his rookie year, and is expected to undoubtably be a starter by his second season. Whomever is CB4 should still see PT in Dime packages. A dev trait gained for Torrence could move him up.
FS1: Marcus Peters vs Beau Brade
The Case: Well this one isn’t much of a battle. Marcus Peters is fully expected to protect the backline of the Rams defense come week 1. Brade has a chance to play his way into being a start at some point, but if Peters does his job he should hold that spot down.
KR1: Tre’Veius Hodges-Tomlinson vs Kirk Merritt vs Antonio Gibson vs Julian Fleming
The Case: Tre has 97 speed, 98 acceleration, and 95 COD. He should fit the bill. Kirk Merritt was the primary returner in the back half of last season and did nothing special, but didn’t put the ball on the ground which is a positive. Antonio Gibson is an outside chance here if he loses his starting job completely to Merritt. And Julian Fleming, with his 99 break tackle rating, has a legitimate chance at the job. But if Fleming wins his WR3 battle, he will be pulled from this discussion. Tre is looking like the favorite regardless, and he’ll get his chance to return kicks in Week 3 of preseason.
PR1: Tre’Veius Hodges-Tomlinson vs Kirk Merritt vs Julian Fleming
The Case: Merritt had a punt return TD in last year’s postseason. Tre has the physicals listed earlier. Same with Fleming. But with punt returner being a less brutal job than kick returner, Fleming is actually looking to be the favorite to win this job. Fleming will be fielding punts in Preseason Week 3
BONUS: Roster Cut Alert
The Case: 14 men need to be cut/moved to the practice squad. QB Nick Foles, QB Stetson Bennett, HB Cody Schrader, WR Xavier Smith, DE William Ghoston, DE Marquise Copeland, OLB Ochaun Mathis, MLB Jamie Collins, CB Bradley Roby, SS Quentin Lake, and P Michael Turk are on the outside looking in barring a miracle. The last 3 spots are interesting. One of those spots will come down to Robert Woods vs Isaiah Hodgins for WR6. The Rams also have 4 FSs and it’s believed that Jason Taylor II will move to the practice squad, but there’s an outside chance John Johnson gets cut. The final position could come down to whether the Rams would rather carry 4 TEs or 4 MLBs.
