QB (keeping 2): Sam Bradford, A.J. Feeley.
Practice squad: Thaddeus Lewis. Unless there's a team out there that would have Lewis pegged as a starter, he should clear waivers and land on the Rams PS again this year. I give him about a 30% chance of beating out Feeley for QB2.
RB (keeping 4): Steven Jackson, Cadillac Williams, Jerious Norwood, Brit Miller. Miller's in the keep zone because they've used him plenty this preseason and because Michael OhIhurtmyknee refuses to stay healthy.
TE (keeping 4): Lance Kendricks, Billy Bajema, Fendi Onobun, Michael OhIhurtmyknee. I don't mind cutting Illinois Mike. A player in the NFL has to stay healthy someday. But they should be able to float him while his latest injury (a calf injury, actually) clears. Bajema is blocking TE and special teams insurance, but is definitely in a vulnerable position. Onobun's game against the Titans makes me think he's fairly solid for now.
Practice squad: Schuylar Oordt. Too athletically gifted to let him slide.
OL (keeping 8): Rodger Saffold, Jacob Bell, Jason Brown, Harvey Dahl, Jason Smith, Adam Goldberg, Renardo Foster, Quinn Ojinnaka. Notable cut: Hank Fraley. There's a reason Ojinnaka is getting reps at center. Fraley looked awful at guard against Tennessee, and there isn't room for him just to play center. Don't completely rule Drew Miller out for Ojinnaka's spot.
Practice squad: Randall Hunt, Ryan McKee.
Special teams (keeping 3): Donnie Jones, Josh Brown, Jake McQuaide. I was keeping Chris Massey, but that's me.
Secondary (keeping 8): CB - Ron Bartell, Bradley Fletcher, Al Harris, Tim Atchison. S - Quintin Mikell, Darian Stewart, Craig Dahl, James Butler. Notable cut: Justin King.
Practice squad: Jermale Hines and Jonathan Nelson.
IR/PUP: Marquis Johnson, Jerome Murphy, Mikail Baker.
Atchison's my underdog to make the roster. Cheaper than King and probably doesn't miss as many tackles. Given this unit's injury history, keeping only 8 could be risky, but I'm guessing they'll go with a 7th LB instead of a 9th DB. Hines, Nelson and Dionte Dinkins have all looked good enough at times to make the roster. But since Butler re-structured his contract, I don't think there's any more cap room to squeeze out of him, so he makes it. Craig Dahl's a dark horse for a surprise cut, but he's like Spagnuolo's lovechild, so I can't quite see it.
Linebacker (keeping 7): James Laurinaitis, Brady Poppinga, Ben Leber, Zac Diles, Chris Chamberlain, Jabara Williams, Brian Kehl. Notable cut: Na'il Diggs.
Practice squad: Josh Hull.
I was only going to keep 6, and I'm not a big Kehl fan, but depth at the position is really questionable after the first 3. I'm picturing Diles as the backup to all three positions, but there's just as good a chance he'll be the one cut. He has not been very quick up the depth chart.
Defensive line (keeping 10): DE - Chris Long, James Hall, Robert Quinn, C.J. Ah You, Eugene Sims, George Selvie. DT - Fred Robbins, Justin Bannan, Daniel Muir, Gary Gibson.
With the injuries right now at DT, we should get a real good look at the DT4 battle between Gibson and Darell Dorell Scott in Kansas City Friday night. Scott's still got a good chance to hang, perhaps even over one of the last three DEs. Those three haven't separated any more than the wide receivers have.
Speaking of which:
Wide receiver (keeping 7): Danny Amendola, Brandon Gibson, Mike Sims-Walker, Greg Salas, Austin Pettis, Donnie Avery, Danario Alexander. Whatever the Rams do with Pettis figures to be controversial. He's likely to spend a lot of weeks as a game-day inactive as I see it. But no way does a third-round pick clear waivers to the practice squad. You either keep him or throw away the pick.
Practice squad: Dominique Curry.
The notable cut, of course, is Mardy Gilyard, which sounds like out-of-the-box thinking. But Gilyard hasn't exactly been Jim Marshall in his time here. When Donnie Avery's made it to a regular season, he's been healthy. And this isn't exactly a receiving corps rich in deep speed. Even with Joe Namath's knees, Alexander gives the Rams their best combination of deep target and size. Gilyard's the one of the three who can play special teams, but other guys can do his job. Amendola can return punts. Jerious Norwood can return kicks.
It would be ludicrous to keep eight WRs. Heck, I don't think even the Greatest Show on Earth ever kept more than six. Gilyard is the unfortunate WR8 at the moment. The main thing that would change that for me (if Alexander continues to avoid IR) is if Sims-Walker emerges as a deep threat, which he hasn't at all yet. That would make Alexander expendable and would enhance the value Gilyard presents on special teams.
Obviously, a lot will change between now and final cutdown day, not the least of which will be my mind. Stay tuned.
-$-
Practice squad: Schuylar Oordt. Too athletically gifted to let him slide.
OL (keeping 8): Rodger Saffold, Jacob Bell, Jason Brown, Harvey Dahl, Jason Smith, Adam Goldberg, Renardo Foster, Quinn Ojinnaka. Notable cut: Hank Fraley. There's a reason Ojinnaka is getting reps at center. Fraley looked awful at guard against Tennessee, and there isn't room for him just to play center. Don't completely rule Drew Miller out for Ojinnaka's spot.
Practice squad: Randall Hunt, Ryan McKee.
Special teams (keeping 3): Donnie Jones, Josh Brown, Jake McQuaide. I was keeping Chris Massey, but that's me.
Secondary (keeping 8): CB - Ron Bartell, Bradley Fletcher, Al Harris, Tim Atchison. S - Quintin Mikell, Darian Stewart, Craig Dahl, James Butler. Notable cut: Justin King.
Practice squad: Jermale Hines and Jonathan Nelson.
IR/PUP: Marquis Johnson, Jerome Murphy, Mikail Baker.
Atchison's my underdog to make the roster. Cheaper than King and probably doesn't miss as many tackles. Given this unit's injury history, keeping only 8 could be risky, but I'm guessing they'll go with a 7th LB instead of a 9th DB. Hines, Nelson and Dionte Dinkins have all looked good enough at times to make the roster. But since Butler re-structured his contract, I don't think there's any more cap room to squeeze out of him, so he makes it. Craig Dahl's a dark horse for a surprise cut, but he's like Spagnuolo's lovechild, so I can't quite see it.
Linebacker (keeping 7): James Laurinaitis, Brady Poppinga, Ben Leber, Zac Diles, Chris Chamberlain, Jabara Williams, Brian Kehl. Notable cut: Na'il Diggs.
Practice squad: Josh Hull.
I was only going to keep 6, and I'm not a big Kehl fan, but depth at the position is really questionable after the first 3. I'm picturing Diles as the backup to all three positions, but there's just as good a chance he'll be the one cut. He has not been very quick up the depth chart.
Defensive line (keeping 10): DE - Chris Long, James Hall, Robert Quinn, C.J. Ah You, Eugene Sims, George Selvie. DT - Fred Robbins, Justin Bannan, Daniel Muir, Gary Gibson.
With the injuries right now at DT, we should get a real good look at the DT4 battle between Gibson and Darell Dorell Scott in Kansas City Friday night. Scott's still got a good chance to hang, perhaps even over one of the last three DEs. Those three haven't separated any more than the wide receivers have.
Speaking of which:
Wide receiver (keeping 7): Danny Amendola, Brandon Gibson, Mike Sims-Walker, Greg Salas, Austin Pettis, Donnie Avery, Danario Alexander. Whatever the Rams do with Pettis figures to be controversial. He's likely to spend a lot of weeks as a game-day inactive as I see it. But no way does a third-round pick clear waivers to the practice squad. You either keep him or throw away the pick.
Practice squad: Dominique Curry.
The notable cut, of course, is Mardy Gilyard, which sounds like out-of-the-box thinking. But Gilyard hasn't exactly been Jim Marshall in his time here. When Donnie Avery's made it to a regular season, he's been healthy. And this isn't exactly a receiving corps rich in deep speed. Even with Joe Namath's knees, Alexander gives the Rams their best combination of deep target and size. Gilyard's the one of the three who can play special teams, but other guys can do his job. Amendola can return punts. Jerious Norwood can return kicks.
It would be ludicrous to keep eight WRs. Heck, I don't think even the Greatest Show on Earth ever kept more than six. Gilyard is the unfortunate WR8 at the moment. The main thing that would change that for me (if Alexander continues to avoid IR) is if Sims-Walker emerges as a deep threat, which he hasn't at all yet. That would make Alexander expendable and would enhance the value Gilyard presents on special teams.
Obviously, a lot will change between now and final cutdown day, not the least of which will be my mind. Stay tuned.
-$-
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