The Rams’ preseason schedule begins on Saturday night when they “host” the Chargers at SoFi Stadium. It’s a home game for both teams so there probably won’t be a discernable crowd advantage, but this is a fairly important game for a young Rams squad.
From Stetson Bennett to Kobie Turner, their rookies will get a chance to prove themselves, while several veterans (so to speak) will try to improve their chances of being starters this season.
Keep an eye on these six things when the Rams take on the Chargers this weekend.
1
Stetson Bennett’s play from within the pocket
Bennett’s athleticism is well-documented. He excels outside the pocket and throwing on the run, which we saw throughout practice in training camp. What will be worth watching is how he performs from within the pocket, particularly on intermediate and deeper throws.
Will he be late throwing out routes against faster NFL defenders? Will he have the arm strength to drive the ball down the field on a post over the middle with the pocket collapsing? This will be an important performance as he continues to compete for the backup quarterback job.
2
Penalties and coverage busts
There are going to be some growing pains with this inexperienced team. That’s just the reality of the situation. With so many young players on the roster, mistakes are going to be made, and we’ll probably see a handful of them on Saturday night.
What Sean McVay doesn’t want to see is pre-snap penalties, busted coverages and missed blocks, particularly from players who are projected to be starters. False starts and illegal shifts will frustrate the coaching staff, as will things like neutral zone infractions and too many men on the field.
3
Wide receiver rotation
Cooper Kupp isn’t going to play in this game and there’s a good chance Van Jefferson won’t either. The rest of the receivers will get a lot of playing time and will have plenty to prove as a result. Tutu Atwell, Puka Nacua, Ben Skowronek and Demarcus Robinson are likely to be the first receivers up on Saturday, but how much each of them plays will be worth monitoring.
The same goes for the performances of Lance McCutcheon and Tyler Johnson, who are both squarely on the roster bubble.
4
Pass-rush effectiveness
Aaron Donald isn’t going to be on the field but we should see the rest of the Rams’ starters in the front seven. That will give us an idea of how good (or bad) the pass rush is without Donald drawing so much of the attention.
Michael Hoecht, Byron Young, Marquise Copeland, Nick Hampton and Kobie Turner are all players to watch as the Rams try to get the pass rush jump-started this preseason. This is one of the biggest concerns for Los Angeles entering the 2023 season.
5
Offensive line shuffling
Although we’ve gained some clarity with the offensive line in recent weeks, we still don’t know for sure who four of the five starters will be. We can assume Alaric Jackson and Steve Avila will start on the left side and that Rob Havenstein will be the right tackle, but the other two spots are up for grabs. Keep an eye on the rotation between Brian Allen and Coleman Shelton at center, as well as the split between Tremayne Anchrum Jr. and Joe Noteboom at right guard.
Steve Avila is playing in the opener and will presumably get the start at left guard against the Chargers.
6
Special teams as a whole
The Rams’ kicker, punter and long snapper are all rookies, so this will be their first NFL action. The hope is that Tanner Brown can make all of his kicks, Ethan Evans shows off a big leg and Alex Ward’s snaps are on target. The little things like Evans’ holds on kicks and his hangtime on punts will be interesting to watch.
In the return game, Puka Nacua is expected to return punts, so that’s another rookie on the special teams unit.
