11 Los Angeles Rams Who Won't Return Next Season

5. Derion Kendrick

Shifting gears and looking at our first cut candidate, Derion Kendrick is heading into the third year of the four-year rookie deal he signed as a sixth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.

That means he's still sporting a very affordable cap hit (just shy of $1 million, then $1.1 million in 2025), but even at that low price-point it's hard to justify having him take up a coveted 53-man roster spot.

Making 18 starts in two years is an impressive feat for a sixth-rounder, but he's had some serious struggles. He allowed an 89.7 passer rating when targeted in coverage last year (an improvement from the 106.4 he allowed in 2022, but still not good), and was thrown at 77 times.

He also struggled bringing receivers down after the catch, with an 18.3% missed tackle rate.

You don't necessarily want to give up on a 22-year-old who did show some improvement from his first to his second seasons, so perhaps the Rams can sneak him onto the practice squad. But that's kind of the problem.

Kendrick exists in that uncomfortable grey area: he might not be worth a 53-man roster spot, but he's valuable enough that he'll be claimed if he's waived to put on the practice squad.

Needing cornerback upgrades this offseason anyway, the Rams should be bringing in plenty of talent at the position, and that will make it an easier decision to risk losing Kendrick by trying to move him to the practice squad.