With the preseason officially in the books, Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay and his staff have some tough decisions to make in order to cut down to the 53-man roster limit.
One of the biggest storylines for the Rams leading up top the 2021 NFL season is the punter competition they ushered in between Johnny Hekker and Corey Bojorquez. Although Hekker had a leg up on the battle due to his status as one of the best punters in the league, Bojorquez added some intrigue with his stellar performance in two of the exhibition games.
Both players were forced to miss the Week 2 preseason game versus the Las Vegas Raiders after being placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. However, Bojorquez was able to make his return for the finale and his dominant outing has only led to further speculation.
McVay acknowledged that having two starting-caliber punters is a good problem to have at the moment, via Stu Jackson of the team’s official website:
“It is very clear that you have two starting punters on our roster, and that’s a positive thing for us,” McVay said. “And so we’ll see what that looks like as we move forward.”
Bojorquez added that he is happy with the journey in L.A. no matter how it pans out:
“It’s been a fun ride,” Bojorquez said. “I just kind of go with the flow, that’s usually how I am. Whatever happens, happens.”
While the prospect of potentially replacing Hekker was a tall task to begin with, Bojorquez had no problem embracing the challenge. After trading punts in the preseason opener, the latter capped things off by bombing a 48-yarder and a 70-yarder down to the one-yard line versus the Denver Broncos.
On most teams, such a performance would have helped solidify a spot on the roster for Bojorquez. Unfortunately, that is not the case when there is a four-time First Team All-Pro and Pro Bowl selection already in their midst.
Of course, Hekker remains as the highest-paid punter in the league and the Rams could be inclined to switch things up. Even if Bojorquez is ultimately part of the final roster cuts, it is a safe bet to assume that he will not be on the market very long.
For now, McVay will need to decide on which areas of the roster could use some more depth. Aside from the question of keeping a third quarterback in Bryce Perkins, he acknowledged that the may need to shore up on defensive line.
