Los Angeles Rams DE Ethan Westbrooks is officially one of the longest-tenured players on the roster headed into 2018.
Let that sink in for a moment.
He has proven to be a valuable piece along the defensive line by exhibiting extreme versatility literally lining up from the zero to wide seven. He backs up each position in the trenches, and as far as a backup goes he’s as close to secure as one can be.
Roster battle
His battle is minimal. The Rams did not do much to add to the battle for guys in the front seven that they added, not many can play interior in a 3-4. However, nothing is guaranteed in the NFL and there are surprises every day, week, month and year. 2018 NFL Draft 195th overall pick and rookie Sebastian Joseph-Day (roster preview) would appear to be the only addition that could possibly pose a major threat. Though I am not expecting too big of a push form him. DE Dominique Easley is the only player that can sincerely impact Westbrooks’ immediate future, but Easley carries a much bigger health risk.
Expectations
I fully expect another very strong preseason from Westbrooks in what feels like routine for him now ever since he beat out former Rams DE Michael Sam for the final spot on the 53-man roster in 2014. We know he’s got a ton of motivation. As he highlighted himself, he got his face tattooed because he knew he could never get a corporate job with it so it is to motivate to be his best and stick around for a while. So far that decision has paid off.
Chances to make roster (8/10)
He’s as close to a lock that you can be for a non-starter.