The preseason is going to carry more weight for the Los Angeles Rams this summer. They’re lacking the proven talent they’ve had in recent years, which means many of their young players will need to take the field in these exhibition games.
Not to mention, the Rams have a lot of position battles to sort out, both in the starting lineup and among backups. Here are eight of the biggest competitions to watch when the Rams take on the Chargers this Saturday night at SoFi Stadium.
1
Left tackle
The Rams listed Alaric Jackson “or” Joe Noteboom as their starting left tackle, a clear sign that neither player has an advantage in this competition. That could change on Saturday night against the Chargers, assuming both players take the field.
This position battle will have a ripple effect at other spots on the offensive line, too. Whoever doesn’t win out at left tackle could also compete at right guard or potentially be the swing tackle this season. Ideally, the Rams will sort this out sooner rather than later.
2
Center
Brian Allen and Coleman Shelton are also co-starters at center, just like Jackson and Noteboom at left tackle. This too is a critical position battle. While Allen can’t play any other positions, Shelton could be a candidate to start at right guard if he doesn’t win the job at center.
The center position is an important one on offense and it’s critical for the starter to develop chemistry with Matthew Stafford before the season begins.
3
Backup quarterback
Stetson Bennett and Brett Rypien are competing to be Stafford’s backup and both performed well in training camp. If Bennett wins the job, it’s possible the Rams will only keep two quarterbacks on the 53-man roster. If Rypien wins out, they’ll certainly keep all three because they aren’t going to cut Bennett as a rookie.
The hope is that Los Angeles won’t need Bennett or Rypien at any point in the regular season but it’s still essential to have a capable backup on the roster in case Stafford gets hurt like he did last year.
4
Safety
Jordan Fuller is going to be one starter, but Russ Yeast, Quentin Lake and John Johnson III are all in contention to start next to him. Johnson may not play Saturday since he was just added to the team, but Lake and Yeast should get some playing time as they battle for snaps in the secondary.
The safety group got much deeper and more talented with the addition of Johnson but Lake and Yeast have impressed this offseason.
5
No. 3 wide receiver
Cooper Kupp obviously isn’t going to play in the preseason and if Van Jefferson does, it’ll be sparingly. That means there will be plenty of opportunities for other receivers to contribute in the next three weeks. This should help Tutu Atwell, Ben Skowronek, Puka Nacua and Demarcus Robinson showcase their abilities to the coaching staff as they compete to be the No. 3 receiver.
It remains to be seen how much each of them will play in the preseason but the Rams need to figure out who will be their third wideout behind Kupp and Jefferson.
6
Edge rusher
With so little proven talent at outside linebacker, the Rams might just play everyone at this position in all three preseason games. That’s how desperate they are to find out who their best edge rushers are.
Byron Young, Daniel Hardy, Nick Hampton, Keir Thomas and the other edge rushers behind Michael Hoecht will all benefit from extended playing time in the preseason. Even Hoecht should get plenty of snaps this summer, being relatively new to the outside linebacker position.
7
Nose tackle
The Rams surprisingly listed Bobby Brown III and Kobie Turner as co-starters at nose tackle on their initial depth chart, so that position is completely up for grabs. Brown obviously has the better size to play the nose, weighing in at 324 pounds, but the Rams seem to like Turner’s potential in the middle despite being 288 pounds and only 6-foot-2.
No position has less depth than nose tackle, with only those two players listed there. So the Rams better hope Brown and Turner can step up and fill Greg Gaines’ shoes.
8
Defensive end
Marquise Copeland and Earnest Brown IV are competing to be the starting defensive end, bookending the line with Aaron Donald. That’s an important position not only from a run-defense perspective, but also from a pass-rush perspective. The Rams need more out of their defensive end, given the lack of proven edge rushers on the roster.
Copeland was signed to a one-year deal this offseason and Brown is entering his third season as a former fifth-round pick, so he’s trying to finally break through this year.
