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The Los Angeles Rams are approaching their first critical date of the 2022 preseason: The first cut day.
The Super Bowl 56 champions and all 31 other NFL teams have until Tuesday, August 16 at 1 p.m. Pacific to decide on who gets cut. It’s never an easy task for every team including the champs to decide on who stays and who goes.
But as head coach Sean McVay pointed out to the L.A. media after the Rams’ final training camp day of Wednesday, August 10, the Rams also use camp and preseason to put together some tape for the next team that becomes interested in a released Ram.
“Because of some of the different approaches that we take, [we’re] allowing these guys to play at their best and enjoy the experience — whether that ends up being on our practice squad or active roster, or putting some good tape out there for somebody else or if it happens to be their last year,” McVay said.
Time will tell which members of the Rams don’t make the 85-man cutoff. But USA Today’s Rams Wire made their Monday, August 15 predictions on who could part ways. And the first two choices are on the offensive side of the football.
First Choice: A ‘Talented H-Back’
Cameron DaSilva has Jared Pinkney being the first to go.
Pinkney entered the league as a “talented H-back” who had the “size, athleticism and ball skills who, at times, looked and played like a player who wished he had come out in the previous draft,” as noted by Lance Zierlein of NFL.com in his draft evaluation of the former Vanderbilt tight end.
Pinkney, though, was projected to be an average backup or special teamer and had a sixth to seventh-round draft value.
The 6-foot-4, 257-pounder is predicted to be the first roster transaction with DaSilva noting his lack of action in the 29-22 preseason win on Saturday versus the Chargers:
“Pinkney didn’t get a single snap in the preseason opener, a game in which four other tight ends played,” DaSilva wrote. “It’s not because Pinkney has locked up a roster spot, either. It’s likely that the Rams wanted to see more of the other four players, knowing Pinkney may not have much of a chance to make the team. It’s also a position with six players currently on the roster, so they have plenty of bodies to get through the preseason without risking Tyler Higbee.”
Higbee is the clubhouse leader at TE. Then it’s Brycen Hopkins and Jamal Pettigrew in the same room. The Rams, though, still list Jacob Harris at TE on the team website when the team has the towering 6-foot-5 option moving to wide receiver.
Speaking of towering option…
Second Choice: Towering WR
The second pick: Warren Jackson from the wide receiver room.
Jackson is the tallest wide receiver in the Rams WR unit at 6-foot-6. However, he hasn’t seen any action after being placed on the physically unable to perform list on July 24. DaSilva wrote:
“Jackson also did not play in the win over the Chargers, likely because he was activated off the PUP list a week before the game. The Rams won’t be playing their top six receivers in the preseason, leaving six other players to handle the workload in the final two weeks. Lance McCutcheon, Landen Akers and J.J. Koski got most of the snaps, with Austin Trammell being the only other receiver to play Saturday. McCutcheon is clearly ahead of Jackson and Trammell showed some potential in the win, so Jackson might be the odd man out.”
McCutcheon’s breakout night of five catches for 87 yards and two touchdowns, plus a two-point conversion score, likely helped complicate some things even more for WRs like Jackson who are trying to stay on the roster. McVay was asked on Sunday, August 14 if McCutcheon’s performance gives him a greater chance of making the final 53-man roster.
“I think certainly,” McVay said.
