LA Rams preseason: Who to Watch
Monday July 31 marks the first Rams practice that will feature clashing pads.
The LA Rams 2023 Training Camp is littered with questions, but each practice that passes brings more focus to the Rams final roster picture entering the season.
An NFL roster is an ever-evolving organism and is never truly “finished” which makes this particular training camp and preseason difficult for Sean McVay and the rest of the Rams coaching staff.
The Rams have a massive rookie class and a good portion of the veterans on the roster are also pretty young. Outside of Aaron Donald, Rob Havenstein, Cooper Kupp, and Matthew Stafford, the Rams roster is riddled with guys who have just a few seasons of NFL experience.
We have learned in the Sean McVay era that starters don’t play in the preseason. While I absolutely expect that trend to continue, I do believe this year will have many exceptions. This is a season unlike any other under McVay. In no other season have the Rams had more question marks entering the preseason as to who will start and who will make the roster. While I expect the clear cut starters and role players to sit out in the exhibition games, with so many starting positions open, there is no other option than to use the preseason games to make those determinations.
There are names to watch at every single position entering the 2023 preseason. While we know that Matthew Stafford will be the Rams QB protected by Rob Havenstein at RT while he throws to WR Cooper Kupp, the offense has many openings.
QB:
Stetson Bennett has gotten plenty of positive comments from coaches, media members, and teammates. Bennett is expected to get the majority of preseason snaps for the Rams this year. If all goes according to plan, Bennett will be the Rams QB2 for the foreseeable future. This is our first opportunity to see him in game action with horns on his helmet. Brett Rypien also could see some field time in the preseason. It’s hard to say if the Rams are wanting to keep more than 2 quarterbacks, but if that’s something they choose to do then it would make sense to have Rypien in the meetings rooms during the practice week because of his previous experience. It makes sense that every QB will touch the field but it’s hard to know when Dresser Winn will touch the field.
RB:
We had a slight surprise when Sony Michel decided that it was time to retire. While we were excited to see him in preseason after helping the Rams win a Super Bowl a few years ago, the Rams have added RB Royce Freeman who has spent the last few seasons in Houston after spending time in Denver. Freeman didn’t post strong numbers in Houston, but…. it was Houston after all… What he can offer should be put on display in some preseason games and hopefully we will hear from him in the form of a press conference soon. Kyren Williams has been hyped by Sean McVay multiple times so far in camp and the reps he gets in preseason could be telling us about how confident the Rams are in him and how much he could be utilized in the offense. Less use could mean the Rams want to ensure he’s fresh week 1. Rookie Zach Evans and Ronnie Rivers seem to be in a battle for the 4th RB spot, which may not be a safe position. Not only are these two battling each other in the preseason, but they are both battling to show the coaching staff that they deserve to be part of the 53-man roster. I know a lot of media outlets have been very high on Evans, but based on what we know right now, he seems to be being lumped into the lower part of the RB depth group.
TE:
The main question that surrounds the Rams TE group is how many do they keep? We know Tyler Higbee will make the roster, but after that it does appear that we have some good battles to watch. Brycen Hopkins has been mentioned by coaches, but Hunter Long was brought in part of the Jalen Ramsey trade and rookie Davis Allen being a draft pick just makes the decision difficult. Davis Allen will miss some practices with a hamstring and hopefully will be available when the Rams take the field at SoFi Stadium against the Chargers. What feels like a full on 3-way battle, playing time is at a premium for these tight ends and every preseason rep matters in this decision. The Rams could keep just two tight ends or all four. I don’t really see the Rams keeping four, so the roster fight at this spot feels very real and if any of these three players really stand out, they could make an argument to be the only tight end other than Higbee kept on the roster.
WR:
This is a loaded group with plenty of battling for position. We know Cooper Kupp and Van Jefferson are going to be the top targets. Below that seems to be an absolute free-for-all and could realistically be filled by Tutu Atwell, DeMarcus Robinson, Puka Nacua, or Ben Skowronek. History under McVay would tell us Skowronek will be in that role in week 1 because of his experience in the scheme. This season is not standard operating procedure McVay, however. Seeing Puka Nacua take this role is a very real possibility and would likely mean that Nacua becomes the most utilized rookie under McVay. McVay tends to give rookies a bit of a ‘red shirt’ season and playing veterans. That may not work this year. The Skow Plow (Thanks for the sick Skowronek nick-name, Payo) is a real option, but if DeMarcus Robinson continues his current trajectory, he could find his snap percentage sitting pretty good when the season begins. This does feel like the most important season for Tutu Atwell. Atwell has a great opportunity to show what he can do this season and should have a solid grasp of the system by this time in his career. If this isn’t the year we see an explosion of production out of Atwell, I think it’s time to have the conversation that maybe he doesn’t have it. With Robinson and Nacua being added, this does add pressure to guys like Lance McCutcheon, Xavier Smith and Austin Trammell who all could be fighting for a roster spot or to put out strong game tape for other NFL teams.
OL:
To this point of the offseason, offensive line is difficult to gauge. This is being written before the Rams first padded practice which is typically where you can begin to get real assessments of guys in the trenches. What I will say about the offensive line is that RT is handled with Rob Havenstein. Outside of that, it does feel like every job is up for grabs. The Rams offensive line got thrashed with injuries last season and a shake up feels like it’s a good thing at this point in time. Versatility is something the Rams really value when it comes to offensive line guys. This is another position grouping that it feels like every rep matters. Giving up a sack very well could mean that you won’t make this team or you will now be a back up for a while. This years offensive line battles mean we could see guys who have plenty of starts under their belt taking reps including Joseph Noteboom and Brian Allen. There are guys on this roster who might already be better than those two at the positions they started in last season with Alaric Jackson and Coleman Shelton respectively who could take those roles.
DL:
Very much the same thing along the defensive line. One starter confirmed and position battles for everything else. Aaron Donald being able to work with these young guys and maybe help the coaching staff know who’s got it and who doesn’t is invaluable. Donald has already had praise for rookie Kobie Turner who is certainly a name to watch when these games begin. Turner could be seeing plenty of snaps when the regular season comes and much like Kyren Williams, a lack of reps here feels like a good thing for week 1. Marquise Copeland is a welcome return as he seems to be getting better each season and Bobby Brown is starting to feel like a player whose longevity on the roster is feeling threatened by some of the youth entering the locker room. This preseason could have an impact on Browns career and whether it continues for years to come or is already close to the end.
LB:
Ernest Jones is the clear cut leader of this group and is sliding into a leadership role nicely as camp moves on. There are too many names here to discuss individually and the linebacker position battles could be their very own discussion. What I will say here is that we will cover this topic after we can see some padded practices and maybe a preseason game or two. The Rams have so many rookies at OLB that it doesn’t even seem fair to say who’s ahead of who right now. The heavy rotation expected here also means that every single rep is important. Getting to the QB here or getting an interception could be the difference between making some starts for this team and not making the roster. The margin for error for these LBs is razor thin. A missed tackle could mean you’re looking for a new team at the end of August while a forced fumble on that same play could have put you next to Jones in week 1 in Seattle. That might feel like an exaggeration at first blush, but these starting roles are there. It’s all about who’s going to claim them with their play.
Secondary:
We have a few guys locked in on the back end, but much like the WR room, it seems like there are two guys we are confident will be awesome and then just a position battle that would have Aubrey Pleasant looking like he’s been up all night trying to solve a murder if he had a full head of hair. Jordan Fuller and Cobie Turner expect to have big roles during the season and I don’t expect to see them in the exhibition match ups. After that… buckle up. It’s a lot of fighting. Razor thin margins riddle this group where giving up a big third down or making an interception could dramatically impact your entire career. There are names like Tre Tomlinson that could have a bad game in the preseason and still make the team simply because of his ceiling, but I also don’t want to put that evil out there on him because him having a bad game in preseason would be a little surprising to me considering I think he’s going to be seen as quite the draft steal within the next few years. We don’t know who will start at safety next to Jordan Fuller, but Jason Taylor II, Russ Yeast, and Quentin Lake are all names that make sense. The battle in the secondary could lead to some pretty awesome plays in the preseason though as these guys will likely be willing to take some chances simply because there are limited roster spots here and a lot of names.
The Los Angeles Rams preseason has never been more interesting. With only a few guys locked in as starters, the preseason will not only be entertaining, but it will be important to the near future of the Rams. Nailing this draft class could mean the Rams are in a position to fight for another Super Bowl in the next few season. A large miss or making the wrong decisions when it comes to cuts this year could mean that a full on rebuild is in the near future. The pressure is on the rookies to perform so they can make the team, but the pressure is also on the coaches and the front office to make sure that when the Rams hit the plane on the way to Seattle in week 1, that it’s the best 53-man roster they had access to.
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