3 Instant Observations After Rams Lose Dependable Running Back

The Los Angeles Rams watched as Cody Schrader's tenure with the team ended on Tuesday when he was signed to the Jacksonville Jaguars' 53-man roster. The Jaguars had one spot open after they traded Tank Bigsby to the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday. Here are three observations from the move.

1. The Rams did not value Schrader as much as expected

There were ways to protect Schrader, including adding him to the 53-man roster. Of course, that would have meant getting rid of someone but keep in mind, the Rams purposefully chose not to play Darious Williams.

Aug 9, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams running back Cody Schrader (32) gets past Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Denzel Daxon (95) for a first down during the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

While the argument can be made that Williams is a critical depth piece, the Rams also chose to keep five tackles and didn't play two of them. Whether a consequence of having a talented roster or another situation, when push came to shove, the Rams agreed that Schrader was the most replaceable part of their operation on Sunday.

2. James Gladstone is becoming a bigger problem than he already is

This isn't the first time former Rams executive James Gladstone has outmaneuvered the Rams in less than one year in charge of the Jaguars. Here's an excerpt from another move he made.

According to The Athletic's Jourdan Rodrigue, a National NFL journalist and former Rams beat writer who closely covered the Rams' front office, revealed that before Rams general manager Les Snead made the trade to select Jarquez Hunter, there was another running back that caught his eye.

Aug 9, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams running back Jarquez Hunter (35) carries the ball past Dallas Cowboys linebacker James Houston (53) during the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

While we'll never know what Snead was going to do with his next pick, Rodrigue confirmed that Snead was high on Virginia Tech running back Bhayshul Tuten and was upset when Gladstone snipped him with the 104th overall pick.

"He runs hard. His success rate is leading. It's the preseason. I don't want to get crazy about success rate just yet, but his success rate is leading other running backs in the NFL in terms of per play. And I actually kind of have a fun Bhayshul Tuten story," The Athletic's Jourdan Rodrigue said on the NFL Daily Podcast.

Aug 17, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars running back Bhayshul Tuten (33) runs against New Orleans Saints safety Ugo Amadi (0) during the first half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

"Because James Gladstone, the GM for the Jaguars, man, he really p***** off his old boss and mentor, Les Snead, because that was a player the Rams had very, very high on their draft board, and James Gladstone also had him very, very high on their draft board."

The Rams are dealing with another Les Snead, but if Snead were in his "f them picks" era.

3. Jarquez Hunter, let's see what you got

Hunter has to play unless the Rams want to call up another player. Blake Corum already plays on special teams, and Hunter needs to figure out how to get various jobs done quickly or the team will move to Ronnie Rivers.

For me, I've seen Hunter, and he's got this. A player with that much heart, skill, and toughness typically fails to fail.

Ensure you follow on X (Twitter) @RamsInsideronSI and @BrockVierra and never miss another Rams news story.

Please let us know your thoughts when you like our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE