Predicting the Los Angeles Rams’ 53-man roster for the 2025 NFL season

Predicting the Los Angeles Rams’ 53-man roster for the 2025 NFL season originally appeared on The Sporting News

I was reading Blaine Grisak’s final 53-man roster and practice-squad prediction this morning, and it got me thinking about where I land after camp and the preseason.

We agree on a lot, three QBs (Stafford/Garoppolo/Bennett), three backs (Williams/Corum/Hunter), six wideouts (Whittington included), four tight ends, and the Karty/Evans/Ward same. 

And with roster cuts coming, where I diverge is mostly roster math. Believing that Alaric Jackson will be on PUP to start the season, which I hope I’m wrong about. I’m carrying 10 offensive linemen with David Quessenberry as the extra fill-in in Jackson’s absence and Beaux Limmer as a true C2.

On defense, I keep six interior DL, including Larrell Murchison, go four deep at EDGE, and stick with four inside linebackers. In the secondary, I’m at six corners and four safeties with Cam Lampkin and Tanner Ingle at the top of my call-up list.

Let’s talk 2025 depth chart:

Offense (26)

Quarterbacks (3)

Matthew Stafford; Jimmy Garoppolo; Stetson Bennett

Stafford’s the undisputed QB1. Garoppolo is a steady No. 2 who can keep the offense on schedule. Bennett’s strong preseason earned him the No. 3 job and the emergency-QB designation.

Running Backs (3)

Kyren Williams; Blake Corum; Jarquez Hunter

Williams sets the tone as the lead back. Corum slots in as a 1B with vision and short-yardage punch. Hunter adds burst and third-down versatility with special-teams value. Cody Schrader is a priority practice-squad candidate.

Wide Receivers (6)

Davante Adams; Puka Nacua; Tutu Atwell; Jordan Whittington; Xavier Smith; Konata Mumpfield

Adams gives Stafford a true alpha opposite Nacua. Atwell stretches the field and Whittington is the dependable inside option. The Smith and Mumpfield battle was the best battle of camp; both did enough to stick, making this one of the league’s deeper rooms.

Tight Ends (4)

Tyler Higbee; Terrance Ferguson; Colby Parkinson; Davis Allen

Higbee remains TE1 and the standard at the position. Ferguson flashed and looked like the successor. Parkinson’s size plays in the red zone, and Allen is the reliable in-line piece once fully right.

Offensive Line (10)

LT: D.J. Humphries; LT2: David Quessenberry

LG: Steve Avila; LG2: Justin Dedich

C: Coleman Shelton; C2: Beaux Limmer

RG: Kevin Dotson; RG2: KT Leveston

RT: Rob Havenstein; RT2: Warren McClendon Jr.

With Jackson on the consideration for PUP, tackle/center contingency matters. Humphries holds down LT with Quessenberry as the fill-in in Alaric’s absence, who can cover either edge.

Then Avila/Shelton/Dotson is a cohesive core. Limmer gives you a true pivot backup so you don’t reshuffle guards. Dedich and Leveston earned depth roles; McClendon Jr. is the right-side swing who can survive snaps.

Defense (24)

Nose Tackle (2)

Poona Ford; Ty Hamilton

Early-down anchors. Ford wins A-gaps, eats doubles, and keeps LBs clean.

Hamilton is a like-for-like space-eater for short yardage and four-minute football. This spot is about control, not sacks.

Defensive End (4)

Kobie Turner; Braden Fiske; Larrell Murchison; Tyler Davis

The heartbeat of the front. Turner and Fiske are upfield disruptors who win with leverage and motor.

Murchison is the steady glue who can spell either spot, Davis adds stoutness for run-heavy looks.

Outside Linebacker / EDGE (4)

Jared Verse; Byron Young; Josiah Stewart; Nick Hampton

Verse’s power/length/engine has him labeled “different” by vets. He sets the tone in base and closes on passing downs.

Young is the steady edge-setter with rush polish. Stewart brings burst and bend on third-and-long; Hampton adds sub-package speed and teams snaps. (Keir Thomas profiles as an IR stash.)

Inside Linebacker (4)

Nate Landman; Omar Speights; Shaun Dolac; Chris Paul Jr.

Young, smart, and active. Landman looks like the on-field general: clean fits, steady tackling, green-dot poise.

Speights carried last year’s momentum through camp with range and blitz timing. Dolac is the splash player whose close-and-chase shows up on defense and teams. Paul Jr. stacks a quietly strong preseason on top of reliability and core-teams value.

Cornerback (6)

Ahkello Witherspoon; Cobie Durant; Darious Williams; Emmanuel Forbes Jr; Josh Wallace; A.J. Green

The toughest room to trim. Witherspoon and Williams are proven boundary starters; Durant is the primary nickel who can kick outside.

Forbes brings length and recovery speed; Wallace is assignment-sound; Green adds veteran depth and teams value. Cam Lampkin missed by inches. He’s the first call-up if any of these six go down.

Safety (4)

Kam Curl; Quentin Lake; Kamren Kinchens; Jaylen McCollough

Curl is the movable piece (box/slot/post), Lake handles nickel/third-safety work, and Kinchens offers true center-field range. This safety room is almost impossible to get in, so that only leaves one chair, and McCollough keeps it with steady box play and special-teams utility. Tanner Ingle made a real push, but numbers elsewhere forced the squeeze. He’s a PS must-keep if he clears.

Specialists (3)

K: Joshua Karty P: Ethan Evans LS: Alex Ward

Very easy with Karty’s accuracy, Evans’ hang time, and Ward does a good job snapping.

Blaine’s piece got me thinking, and in the big picture, we see the same backbone. I’m just paying an extra tax in the trenches for September for more contingency at tackle/center on offense, and more interior body on defense.

All while trimming the fifth EDGE and fifth ILB on the initial 53. If waivers or health force a tweak, Brennan Jackson (EDGE) and Troy Reeder (ILB) are my first additions, with Cam Lampkin (CB) and Tanner Ingle (S) as priority call-ups. 

However it breaks, this version should fit how the Rams want to play right now.