Most significant move: For most of the offseason and preseason, Barrett Jones looked poised to finally take the reins and become the St. Louis Rams' starting center. He was given the opportunity to compete with Tim Barnes and Demetrius Rhaney, rotating with them throughout. Now, Jones is out of a job. The irony in it all is that one of the primary reasons Jones wasn't kept was because of a lack of positional versatility, which was one of his hallmarks coming out of Alabama. But it never really translated in St. Louis as Jones struggled to move defenders in the run game and doesn't possess Rhaney's athleticism to get to the second level in the team's zone blocking schemes. The Rams have been slow to let go of draft picks in the past but Jones had two injury-plagued seasons and a full offseason to get up to speed to make the starting job his own. Because he didn't he's now in need of a new one.
A surprise at linebacker: After signing veteran linebacker Akeem Ayers in March, the Rams looked like they finally had positioned themselves to have some veteran depth at linebacker. Jo-Lonn Dunbar, who had been a starter on the strong side figured to at worst become the primary backup at all three linebacker spots. Instead, Dunbar is gone and the Rams are light on depth once again at the position. Instead, the Rams opted to keep special teams leader Daren Bates, undrafted rookie Cameron Lynch and seventh-round pick Bryce Hager behind James Laurinaitis, Ayers and Alec Ogletree. The Rams do have safety Mark Barron, who can play a hybrid role as a linebacker but there's not much depth here once again.
Loading up on O-linemen but with a twist: It was expected that the Rams would keep 10 offensive linemen and they did. But it's not the ones many thought. Aside from Jones and Dunbar, the other name on the team's list of cuts that might qualify as a surprise is rookie tackle Isaiah Battle. From the moment the team used a fifth-round pick in next year's draft to add Battle in the supplemental draft this year, the Rams said that he would be a work in progress. It was clear from the preseason that Battle has a long way to go before he can contribute. That the Rams opted to keep undrafted rookie Darrell Williams instead of Battle is a testament to just how far off Battle is from being able to play. Now, the Rams might try to get him through to the practice squad. If they lose him, they'll have nothing to show for the 2016 fifth-round pick they gave up to get him.
What's next: The Rams will have a walk-through Sunday and will have Monday off before beginning their practice week with a light workout Tuesday. They open the season at home against the Seattle Seahawks on Sept. 13.
Rams cuts: QB Austin Davis, TE Alex Bayer, OT Isaiah Battle, TE Justice Cunningham, WR Emory Blake, WR Daniel Rodriguez, RB Malcolm Brown, S Christian Bryant, DT Marcus Forston, CB Montell Garner, S Jacob Hagen, DE Martin Ifedi, RB Zach Laskey, DE Matt Longacre, OL Barrett Jones, LB Marshall McFadden, CB Brandon McGee, CB Trovon Reed, DT Louis Trinca-Pasat, G Brandon Washington. RB Trey Watts was placed on the reserve/suspended list. LB Jo-Lonn Dunbar's contract was terminated.