LOS ANGELES — The beautiful campus of Loyola Marymount is the fifth stop on my NFL training camp trip, with a powerhouse Rams team bunking up here for a couple weeks. Here’s what I’m hearing …
• The buzz about the new guys is very real. Myles Garrett has been, believe it or not, better than advertised, has fit in seamlessly and should benefit from having a deep, loaded group of defensive linemen around him. And Trent McDuffie has checked every box, as a guy who can play field, boundary and slot corner, and is a tough, physical tone-setter—I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s a captain in his first year as a Ram. The team believes he can become perhaps the NFL’s best defensive back in a role not unlike the one that Jalen Ramsey (who, admittedly, is a bigger, more physically imposing player) played in Los Angeles. Those two guys alone should make a very significant difference, and that’s with all due respect to Jared Verse, who was part of the cost of getting Garrett.
• So the next question, obviously, is whether Aaron Donald is going to be part of that defense. Donald’s working through training to make sure he can feel like himself out there—and the bar for him to feel like himself is, obviously, very high. But he and Sean McVay have a very close relationship, and they have established a rough timeline for his return should Donald go through with it. My sense is it wouldn’t happen until after the Rams leave Loyola Marymount and head back to their home facility north of L.A. The plan from there, should he return, would likely mirror how they ramped Donald up in his two holdout years, 2017 and ’18, which happened to be McVay’s first two years with the Rams. And the aforementioned depth and the balance on the defensive front would help them manage Donald, too. Speaking of that depth, there are a couple more young guys—Josaiah Stewart and Braden Fiske—having the kinds of offseasons that give you the idea that they could take their level of play to another level.
• On offense, Davante Adams, Puka Nacua and Kyren Williams are where you’d expect them to be, and Colby Parkinson is leading a deep, versatile tight end group. The second layer of skill talent is where the offense could look a little different than it did a year ago. Terrance Ferguson has had a fantastic offseason. He is now proving to be a guy who can play all over the formation and looks like he could be a force after the catch, showing why the Rams coveted him in the 2025 draft and now believe he could grow into one of the NFL’s best tight ends. Blake Corum has also worked to earn carries alongside Williams, seeing the game faster, and looking like a guy who could add a big-play element to the Rams’ physical run game. If there’s a question on offense, it’s at tackle, where Alaric Jackson is facing potential discipline from the NFL, and Rob Havenstein retired.
• Stafford’s presence certainly has been felt—last year, he had perhaps his best season as a pro at 37 years old, and he has been sharp and locked in early this summer. He’s also as healthy as he’s been at this point in the calendar in a few years, and if he stays that way, there’s every reason to believe he’ll be every bit as good in 2026. More than anything, there’s a sense that he’s really enjoying the game, and the team, and was at the very top of his game the last time we saw him, through the Rams’ playoff run.
• Finally, if there’s one area where there could be a significant uptick in performance from 2026, it’s special teams. McVay was able to land the well-regarded Bubba Ventrone as a new coordinator, and added a couple of real leaders in special teams ace Grant Stuard from Detroit and long snapper Joe Cardona from Miami. The moves underscore how complete a roster it looks like the Rams will take with them to Australia for Week 1.
