Winners and losers from Rams' preseason loss to Browns: Tanner Ingle makes one last push

With roster cutdown day coming on Tuesday, players have run out of time to make an impression on their coaches and the front office. The Los Angeles Rams wrapped up their preseason slate on Saturday with a 19-17 loss to the Cleveland Browns, shifting gears toward roster cuts and Week 1 of the regular season.

Sean McVay said leading up to the game that there were still some spots up for grabs, so it wasn’t a meaningless game for those who took the field. They were fighting for their football lives, making one final push for a spot on the 53-man roster.

These were the biggest winners and losers from Saturday’s finale in Cleveland.

Winners: Guys who didn’t play

McVay said the Rams held out A.J. Green and Ty Hamilton due to injuries, but there were several other players who didn’t suit up because of their standing on the depth chart. The most notable players in that group are Shaun Dolac, Warren McClendon Jr., Justin Dedich, Beaux Limmer and David Quessenberry.

McVay all but confirmed after the loss that they’ve secured roster spots and won’t be cut by the Rams, earning the opportunity to stick around into the season. Dolac was perhaps the biggest winner of all, making the team as an undrafted rookie.

Others who didn’t play include Josh Wallace, Larrell Murchison, Nick Hampton, Xavier Smith, Davis Allen and Konata Mumpfield, ensuring they’re going to make the team.

Winner: Brennan Presley

It might be a little too late for Presley to make the team, but he certainly isn’t making it an easy decision for the coaches. For the third straight week, he was a playmaker on offense. He led the team with 51 receiving yards on only three catches, also adding 23 yards rushing yards on three carries.

He’s someone the Rams should try to bring back on the practice squad, assuming he gets cut.

Winner: Terrance Ferguson

Ferguson didn’t need a full game to show why he was a second-round pick this year. It took just one half and only two catches for that to become very evident. He caught a 33-yarder on a slot fade down the left side, creating late separation and flashing late hands to make the difficult grab over his shoulder. It nearly turned into a 67-yard touchdown but he was ruled out of bounds after making the catch.

Winner: Tanner Ingle

It remains to be seen if Ingle did enough to make the 53-man roster but his performance on Saturday shows what he brings to the table at safety and on special teams. He was everywhere for the Rams, making plays on both defense and as a gunner on special teams.

And he always arrived with force, knocking ball carriers back and stopping them in their tracks. He wasn’t called for a single penalty on any of his big hits, either, which shows he was laying the wood legally.

Winner: Josh Pearcy

Pearcy isn’t going to make the team, being one of the reserve edge rushers who played sparingly this preseason, but he showed up a few times on Saturday. Despite not having a single tackle or QB hit, he generated pressure a handful of times that led to sacks by the Rams – including Brennan Jackson’s where Shedeur Sanders lost 24 yards on the play.

Against backup tackles, Pearcy looked pretty good on the outside.

Winner: Jahmil Muhammad

Speaking of edge rushers, Muhammad had himself a game, too. He recorded one sack, which also resulted in a fumble by Sanders, finishing the game with two total tackles. He was flying off the edge like Pearcy, disrupting the flow of the offense when Sanders was on the field.

He’s also projected to be cut by the Rams but this performance might’ve earned him a practice squad spot.

Winner: Tony Fields

Fields tied for the team lead with eight tackles, one of which went for a loss on a sack where he blitzed the quarterback. He made a good tackle on the Browns’ opening drive, too, stopping the receiver short of the sticks on third down to force a punt.

If the Rams want even more linebacker depth, he’s someone who could be signed to the practice squad.

Loser: Chris Paul Jr.

It was surprising to see how long Paul was on the field Saturday. He didn’t start but once he got into the game, he almost never came out. He was on the field deep into the fourth quarter, which is typically a bad sign for a player. However, being a fifth-round rookie, it’s hard to see the Rams cutting him this week.

Losers: Offensive linemen

Though they settled down as the game went on, the Rams’ offensive line was abysmal in this one. Dresser Winn was under constant duress in the pocket, often making him scramble for his life in an attempt to avoid Browns rushers. Wyatt Bowles struggled at center, Trey Wedig had issues at right tackle in pass protection and the entire unit failed to pick up blitzers and stunts far too often.

None of the linemen who played Saturday will make the team, but it was still a frustrating performance.

Loser: Derion Kendrick

Kendrick is fighting for a roster spot and the outlook isn’t very good considering he played almost the entire game. Josh Wallace didn’t play at all, either, making him the clear-cut favorite over Kendrick in the secondary. He was called for offsides on second-and-3 where the Browns had an incompletion to bring up third down, leading to an eventual game-winning field goal a few plays later.

This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams vs. Browns: Winners and losers from LA’s preseason game

Winners and losers from Rams’ preseason loss to Browns: Tanner Ingle makes one last push

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