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Rams Cut Ex Top Pick Before Playing a Game

Originally posted on FanNation Ram Digest
By Daniel Flick | Last updated 8/29/23

Oh, the difference a year can make.

When the Los Angeles Rams selected offensive lineman Logan Bruss with their first pick of the 2022 NFL Draft - No. 104 overall - they did so with the belief that he could be an early impact player.

Last training camp, Bruss was in the mix to start at right guard as a rookie, a promising sign that Los Angeles truly liked what it saw … but the former Wisconsin standout tore his ACL in mid-August and missed the entirety of his rookie season.

Fast forward to this training camp, and Bruss suddenly found himself fighting for a roster spot on a Rams offensive line that allowed the third-most sacks in the league last season with 59.

Los Angeles tried to make things work for Bruss, who moved back to right tackle during OTAs after spending much of his collegiate career there ... but even then, he was likely going to be reduced to a backup role behind veteran Rob Havenstein, a staple on the right side of the Rams' front five.

The final nail in the coffin for Bruss was his difficult preseason, during which he received an overall grade of just 47.5 by Pro Football Focus, the fifth-worst mark on Los Angeles' offense.

And so, when it came time for the Rams to make roster cuts on Tuesday, coach Sean McVay and general manager Les Snead decided they'd seen enough, officially parting ways with Bruss before he had the opportunity to play in a regular season game.

Now, the 24-year-old is searching for a new home, some 16 months after being the first player selected by McVay and Snead post-Super Bowl victory.

Los Angeles' 2022 class isn't shaping up to be overly disastrous considering the circumstances of having just one top-140 pick, although it appears McVay and Snead swung and missed on that lone selection.

Only two other players - outside linebacker Daniel Hardy and offensive tackle A.J. Arcuri, both seventh-round picks - are off the roster, while several defensive backs appear to be trending towards seeing the field this fall, including Cobie Durant, Derion Kendrick, Quentin Lake and Russ Yeast.

There's also fifth-round running back Kyren Williams, whose quickness and playmaking skills could prove important to the Rams' offense this fall ... though he won't get the opportunity to run behind Bruss.

And so, while teams rarely punt on Day 2 draft picks so soon after selecting them, in the case of Bruss and the Rams, this certainly appears to be a warranted decision.

This article first appeared on FanNation Ram Digest and was syndicated with permission.

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