It didn’t take long for the Los Angeles Rams’ depth to be tested this season. In their opener against the Detroit Lions on Sunday night, they had to play with several substitutes, including three on the offensive line alone.
Injuries have hit this team hard before, and Sean McVay has adapted well on both sides of the ball. They were missing their starting left tackle, backup left tackle and starting right tackle at times, as well as their starting left guard, cornerback and wide receiver.
Although the Rams did not emerge victorious against the Lions, they brought Detroit to the brink of defeat in overtime.
Here’s how playing time is split on both sides of the ball, with notes on each position group – including running back, where Kyren Williams is clearly still the best option.
attack
Only five players on offense played every snap, including just three linemen. That’s because Joe Noteboom and Steve Avila both suffered injuries and had to leave the game, as did Puka Nacua. Noteboom played 27 snaps, Nacua 25, and Avila 37.
In Noteboom’s place, AJ Arcuri played 65% of the snaps. Beaux Limmer filled in for Avila and played 53%, and Tyler Johnson was promoted to a more prominent role with a 65% snap share.
At running back, it’s clear who is still the starter: Kyren Williams. He played 71 of 78 possible snaps, Ronnie Rivers the other seven. Interestingly, Blake Corum was not used in the offense.
Colby Parkinson has been the best tight end all offseason, but after one week he has firmly established that role, playing 88% of the snaps compared to 8% for Davis Allen and 4% for Hunter Long.
Although Nacua missed most of the game, Tutu Atwell was still a complete waste, playing just six snaps and not being targeted once, currently ranking fifth in the league. Jordan Whittington played just two snaps and would have scored a touchdown on a jet sweep had he not been penalized for holding.
defense
The rotation of players in the Rams’ defense was similarly small. Only 12 players were on the field for more than half of the defensive snaps, and only 13 players in total were on at least 11 snaps.
Quentin Lake, Troy Reeder, Tre’Davious White and Kamren Curl were the only four players who were on the field for all 61 defensive plays. Sean McVay did not say who wore the green dot as the signal-caller, but based on photos from the game, it was Reeder who relayed Chris Shula’s calls to the rest of the defense.
Christian Rozeboom played significantly more than expected, playing 74% of the time. That’s partly because the Rams could only rely on two cornerbacks: White and Cobie Durant. Lake was the nickel defender and John Johnson was on the field 62% of the time as the deep safety alongside Curl.
Jared Verse and Braden Fiske both played a lot of snaps in their debuts. Fiske was on the field 77% of the time and Verse played 70%, meaning they barely left the field. Michael Hoecht was the only other edge rusher to come off the bench, playing 49% of the snaps.
Kobie Turner’s durability was outstanding for a defensive lineman, playing 92% of the snaps up front. Bobby Brown III played 61% as a nose tackle, Tyler Davis played 11 snaps, and Neville Gallimore played just four snaps.
