Los Angeles Rams: 4 unexpected players are released

The 2024 NFL season is just around the corner and it’s time for the Los Angeles Rams to make a decision.

General Manager Les Snead and Head Coach Sean McVay, along with the coaching staff, are making their final selections to complete the 53-man roster that will take to the field for Sunday Night Football in Detroit on September 8.

Here is a list of the four most unexpected cuts to expect from the Los Angeles Rams.

Unexpected dismissal of the Los Angeles Rams

Xavier Smith, WR

The Los Angeles Rams normally have six wide receivers on their team, and given Xavier Smith's playing style, Snead and McVay faced a difficult decision.

Smith would potentially bring the total to seven receivers on the roster. That means there is an outsider and that could be Smith.

What makes the decision difficult, however, is the way Smith is played.

In the first preseason game against Dallas, Smith caught four passes for 22 yards.

The following week against the cross-town rival Chargers, Smith caught five passes for 45 yards. Although he missed a pass intended for him in the end zone, Smith did catch a pass for six yards, which earned him a defensive pass interference penalty on the following play.

His role as a kick returner is also what really stands out in the new NFL kickoff being introduced this season.

“I just know my role,” said Smith, who signed with the Rams as an undrafted rookie out of Florida A&M in 2023. “I know that's going to be my path on the 53. So I'm just trying to do everything I can to take advantage of that opportunity. I'm getting extra work with the punters, extra work with the kickers and just taking advantage of them when it's time to go on the field.”

Smith is definitely a player to keep an eye on if he makes the 53-man roster, either for his work as a pass receiver in backup to Cooper Kupp or Puka Nacua or on kickoffs.

Even head coach Sean McVay praised Smith during the preseason.

“When you look at the comparison between last year and this year, it's great to see his growth and maturity. His teammates love him,” he said of Smith after the third preseason game against Houston, in which the 26-year-old caught four passes for 34 yards and three rushing attempts for Jet Wees for 16 yards. “He was captain of the game (on Sunday). I was really happy with Xavier.”

Also read: New Los Angeles Rams squad expected to be 53 men

Hunter Long, TE

The Los Angeles Rams tight end group is an interesting one, especially with Tyler Higbee likely to be placed on the injured list, so this group consists of Colby Parkinson, Davis Allen, and Hunter Long.

How many tight ends are needed behind Parkinson will depend on how long it takes Higbee to return from the torn ACL and medial ligament he suffered during the playoffs against the Lions last January.

If Higbee needs at least four games, Snead and the Rams could perhaps play with two tight ends and leave a player like Long out. However, if Higbee needs more time, it makes sense to add Long to the roster.

On the other hand, this is not an offense like others in the league that use their tight ends. Last year, the Rams' tight ends had a total of 88 targets, tied with Higbee and Davis Allen as the two best target leaders on a team. That's 28th^th in the league.

While the Rams led the league in the number of wide receiver targets among their top three receivers last season.

So if Snead and McVay feel Long is a valuable addition to the tight end department alongside Parkinson and Allen, he will be on the 53-man roster when it is finalized on Tuesday.

EDGE rushers Zach VanValkenburg and Ochaun Mathis

With the retirement of Aaron Donald and the new head coach of defensive coordinator Raheem Morris in Atlanta, a new era begins for the Los Angeles Rams defense.

The Rams began their new era on defense by signing defensive end Jared Verse from Florida State, the team's first first-round selection since Jared Goff was selected first in 2016.

Verse's Seminole teammate and defensive tackle Braden Fiske was then selected in the second round.

As a result, the Rams' edge rushers will consist of Verse, Byron Young and Michael Hoecht. The edge rushing trio will most likely be followed by 2024 fifth-round pick Brennan Jackson out of Washington State and 2023 fifth-round pick Nick Hampton.

Also read: Los Angeles Rams top defender reportedly ready for trade due to contract dispute

That could easily be the outside linebacker area, although there are three more players on the list before the 53-man roster is finalized: Keir Thomas, Ochaun Matthis and Zach VanValkenburg.

Of the three, VanValkenburg and Mathis have made a compelling case for the roster. VanValkenburg has shown he can make big plays, especially in the first preseason game against the Cowboys. Against Dallas, VanValkenburg totaled three tackles with one sack and two quarterback hits and was the team's top player with six quarterback pressures. According to Pro Football Focus, the six pressures were also the most of any player in the first week of the preseason.

Mathis, meanwhile, has also seen success this preseason. Against the Chargers, Mathis recorded a tackle for a loss and was ranked third on the team with a PFF grade of 87.7 after the matchup. However, Mathis did not play in Houston on Saturday, which is a sign that he may have a slight edge over VanValkenburg to make the Los Angeles Rams' 53-man roster.