There's nothing easy about letting go of a captain. Like many of you, I had immense optimism for Ernest Jones IV this season. So, it hurts to see him traded to the Tennessee Titans as the Los Angeles Rams make their 53-man roster decisions.

Even though this is not what anyone wanted, the harsh reality is it's not out of step with the modern paradigm of roster management.

I remember one of the most brutal takeaways from the 2022 season: Bobby Wagner played at an elite level and was Pro Football Focus' top-graded middle linebacker. In my memory, he was everywhere that season. And the Rams lost 12 games.

Was that his fault? Of course not.

But it was the most glaring indicator I'd been confronted with, that it's hard to impact wins and losses from the off-ball linebacker position in today's NFL.

Cory Littleton, Wagner, and now Ernest Jones. All gave the Rams fantastic contributions. In an environment of constrained resources, compensating the green dot linebacker on your defense can unfortunately be at odds with roster construction.

As The (Top of the) World Turns

In anticipation of this potential trade, I went back and looked at the Super Bowl winning defense of 2021. Jones had been the only Ram left on this summer's roster who played defensive snaps in that championship win and had not played for another team since.

Michael Hoecht was dressed for special teams that night at SoFi Stadium, and so was Christian Rozeboom.

Darious Williams started that Super Bowl and is back after a two-year stint in Jacksonville. Troy Reeder has been away and back a few times. Bobby Brown III was on the team but inactive in what amounted to a redshirt freshman year.

Undrafted but not Unwanted

How was it possible to turn over nearly half the roster in such a short period of time?

For starters, in the last two NFL Drafts, the Rams have selected 24 players – 19 are on this initial 53-man roster.

Offensive lineman KT Leveston, the 254^th pick of this April's draft, is on the injured reserve list and designated to return. Tre Tomlinson is on the injured reserve list as well.

To make that many picks and still have FIVE college free agents (all on defense) make this team is really notable. Kudos to linebackers Omar Speights and Elias Neal, as well as defensive backs Jaylen McCollough, Josh Wallace and Charles Woods for making the most of their opportunities. Likewise for the Rams position coaches and college scouts who work furiously in the after-Draft hours to attract these potential pros.

Kept in Suspense

Let's not pretend there's anything good about league suspensions.

But in terms of roster math, there's at least the possibility of redeeming those missed games.

Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and offensive tackle Alaric Jackson's penalties made room for unnamed Player 52 and 53, and perhaps kept them away from competitors scouring the waiver wire. Time to wait and see is a value commodity this time of year.

But while suspensions may create margin in August, they won't do LA any good unless the Rams can win one or both of first two games of September, hopefully without needing to turn to a backup at those positions.

Safety In Numbers

From the keeping receipts department, here's what Pro Football Focus wrote about the Rams safety position group this summer, while labeling them the weakest in the NFL:

A group that struggled in 2023 only looks weaker in 2024, as Kamren Curl (66.6 PFF grade in 2023) and Russ Yeast (57.0) are the lone safeties with experience on the roster. The Rams drafted Kamren Kinchens in the third round but will once again rely on late-round or undrafted players to step into big roles in 2024.

Now, if there's anything to defend here, it's that PFF (accurately) treats Quentin Lake as a nickel corner and excludes him from the strength of this room.

But as we sit here today? I see the safeties as among the deepest and most compelling position groups on the Rams roster.

Kamren Curl has drawn rave reviews throughout the offseason program. Kamren Kinchens secured his role on the defense early enough to only require one preseason appearance. Lake is a chess piece. The Rams brought back veteran John Johnson III. And in Russ Yeast, LA has a reserve with position flexibility to back up multiple positions.

The Late Bus

One of the preseason stories I think is worth celebrating: Former Rams top pick OG Logan Bruss.

Though he was selected outside the top 100, Bruss was the first pick of the Rams Class of 2022, and was celebrated accordingly. But his career almost never got off the ground, with a preseason knee injury suffered as a rookie. And it felt like a whiff when he was then waived last summer after some position shuffling. Nonetheless, Bruss clearly got to work behind the scenes, laboring on the practice squad and rebuilding his strength and confidence.

This offseason, Bruss flat out earned a spot on a deep and talented offensive line going into his third season. I find that inspirational and instructive: 22-year-olds are never finished products, even less so in the crucible that is NFL offensive line play. Whether he grows into a future starter or provides valuable depth for the duration of his stay in Los Angeles, it's great to see the Bruss Bus back on the road.

Practice Squad

The process of roster formation is hardly over. In many ways this is just the first step in a season-long adventure.

I think the 2024 practice squad has a chance to be impactful, and am particularly curious to see if Xavier Smith, Zach Evans, Jason Taylor II, and Zach Thomas can make it through waivers.

We'll have more reactions to the Rams roster decisions Wednesday on Between the Horns, as we break it all down with D'Marco Farr and Andrew Siciliano.