The Los Angeles Rams’ 53-man roster is official, and while we came close to nailing it in our prediction, the real story isn’t how many names we got right – it’s the backlash surrounding Troy Reeder making the cut over Chris “Pooh” Paul Jr.
Reeder, the veteran linebacker, secured the fourth inside linebacker spot alongside Nate Landman, Omar Speights, and rookie Shaun Dolac.
That decision immediately set off frustration among fans who wanted Paul Jr. rewarded for his preseason performance.
On paper, Paul Jr. showed enough to deserve a roster spot. But the deciding factor was clear that experience and special teams were a major value.
Reeder has more of both than any other inside linebacker on the roster, and that matters in a defense that may lean on rotational depth during the season.
Turf Show Times’ Blaine Grisak addressed the outrage directly on X:
“You can disagree with the Rams leaving Paul off the roster.
…but to say ‘he’s still better than Reeder’ is to imply that the Rams are purposely keeping worse players on the roster.
Rams clearly value Reeder’s experience as depth.”
Head coach Sean McVay echoed that logic, explaining the thought process behind choosing Reeder over Paul Jr. Per Stu Jackson of TheRams.com:
“What we are tasked to do is be able to evaluate what we think, when we went with four inside linebackers, what do we think are the four best inside linebackers?” McVay explained. “And that’s not exclusive to playing inside linebacker. Part of that is playing special teams. And Shaun Dolac’s a guy that’s going to be able to play on all four phases, Troy Reeder is gonna play on all four phases.
“And so when you look at Landman and Omar Speights as your starting inside linebackers when you’re in your two backer defenses, those third and four spots are heavily dictated and determined by where do you create value, not exclusive to the inside linebacker position. And it’s not anything to take away from Pooh, because I got respect, love (for him) and wish him nothing but the best, but those two guys made themselves really important, and that’s why they’ll have a jersey on game day.”
Personally, I wouldn’t have made this much noise about Reeder. If there was a debate to be had, it was between Paul Jr and Dolac.
But that argument would be met with the obvious:
“Have you seen Dolac play football? His highlight tape speaks for itself”.
Dolac flashes too much to keep off the roster.
In the end, Paul Jr. just got caught in a numbers game. The Rams weren’t going to carry five inside linebackers, and when it came down to trusting experience and special teams reliability, Reeder was able to play four phases of football.
It may not be the flashy choice, and it may not be the popular one, but it’s the move the Rams believe gives them the most reliable depth heading into 2025.
Now, with the roster set, the focus turns to September and whether this team, loaded with stars like Matthew Stafford, Davante Adams, and Puka Nacua, can turn potential into a championship run.