Rams projected to cut promising second-year player while making 53-man roster

The Los Angeles Rams will need to make some tough calls at the cut deadline this year before the regular season.

One of the more notable obstacles in front of the coaching staff is along the defensive front seven, where the Rams have stockpiled talent while trying to compensate for the loss of Aaron Donald.

That tough reality has Bleacher Report’s David Kenyon picking sophomore edge rusher Ochaun Mathis as the one player the Rams should cut:

“Edge-rushing depth is a good thing, but Los Angeles has some flexibility up front within its roster locks. Ochaun Mathis, who appeared in eight games as a rookie, is seemingly well behind at the position.”

Cutting loose a second-year player whose heights in college included nine sacks and 14 tackles for loss at TCU in 2020 is a bit of a risk. That sort of production and profile will have other teams paying attention during final cuts next week.

That said, when a team takes 14 players like the Rams did in the 2023 draft, albeit none before No. 36 overall, not everyone is going to stick. Nor will many turn into a breakout star like former fifth-rounder Puka Nacua, though a sixth-round rookie this year might just come close .

As for Mathis, despite being one of the highest-graded players at PFF from a recent Rams preseason game, he indeed might fall victim to the numbers game as the staff formulates a final 53-man roster.

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