EARTH CITY, Mo. -- The St. Louis Rams finally begin organized team activities on Tuesday and with most of the offseason heavy lifting complete, the roster you see now likely has the vast majority of players who will be on it come the start of the regular season.
With that in mind, we'll spend the next week or so delving into each position group with some thoughts on who will start, who might be on the bubble and how the depth chart could shake out.
Position: Linebacker
Returning: James Laurinaitis, Alec Ogletree, Jo-Lonn Dunbar, Daren Bates, Marshall McFadden, Korey Toomer
Newcomers: Akeem Ayers, Bryce Hager, Cameron Lynch, Keshaun Malone
Departures: Will Herring
Projected starter(s): Laurinaitis, Ogletree, Ayers
Battle to watch: Laurinaitis and Ogletree are as settled as can be in their spots. It's the third linebacker spot that bears watching. That should come down to a battle between new addition Ayers and incumbent Dunbar. Dunbar knows the system and is a well-respected leader in the locker room, but the Rams clearly went out and got Ayers for a reason. At the March owners meetings, Rams coach Jeff Fisher said Ayers and Dunbar would compete for the starting spot. It's a competition that figures to begin in OTAs and carry on into training camp. Dunbar is known as more of a run-stopper while Ayers flashed pass-rush potential in his stint with the Patriots at the end of last season. It's possible the Rams could use both and safety Mark Barron's name should be mentioned here as well but given the investment made in Ayers, it stands to reason he's going to win the job. Either way, that's the position to watch as the rest of the spring and summer unfold.
Outlook: Laurinaitis is still the captain and leader of the entire defense. His knowledge of the system and ability to put his teammates in the right spot is as valuable as his ability to tackle. He remains the focal point of this group heading into 2015. Ogletree is the player who might be most poised for a breakout season. After some serious struggles early in 2014, he hit his stride midway through the year and went on to lead the team in tackles as well as forcing four fumbles and coming up with a pair of interceptions. He also had 10 pass breakups. If he can become more consistent, Ogletree has a chance to continue to ascend this season. What happens with the other spot is more up in the air as Dunbar and Ayers battle for snaps. Barron also figures into the mix and the Rams might begin tinkering more with their alignments on third down and in the nickel. Ogletree looks to be the only member of this group all but assured of staying on the field all three downs for the bulk of the time. The rest of the group should be able to provide depth and special-teams value though there looks to be some jobs available. Dunbar is currently the backup in the middle, but the Rams will be examining all options behind the starting group. Bates is a core special-teams player and unlikely to go anywhere. Hager could fit into a similar role but he'll have competition from the likes of Toomer, McFadden, Lynch and Malone.
