The Los Angeles Rams will face off against the Dallas Cowboys in their first preseason game on August 9th, less than a week away. The Rams will conclude their training camp segment tomorrow at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. As we enter into preseason and the final month before the regular season kicks off, I wanted to get a pulse of what are other Rams fans are feeling regarding the state of the team and individual players on the roster.
Here are 10 burning questions. I’ve included my responses for the sake of starting the conversation somewhere….Chime in with comments below…
Question 1: Which Rams player on offense is most likely to surprise and win a starting spot?
The key word here is “surprise”. I think QB, RB, WR1, WR2, LT, LG, RG, and RT are locks which leaves WR3, TE, and C. I think Tyler Higbee will be given the starting nod to start the year…the question is his health and how much Parkinson and Ferguson push him for time. As for center, Coleman Shelton was paid in free agency and has familiarity with the offensive rhythm. I think the surprise will be Jordan Whittington. As a WR with a bigger body, he has an advantage over Tutu Atwell when it comes to run blocking. I could see the snap share being 60:40 in favor of Whittington.
Question 2: Which Rams player on offense is most in danger of losing starting role?
I think its a pretty easy answer. Kyren Williams. Running backs getting benched when they do not take care of the football. If Kyren slips up early in the season, I could see Jarquez Hunter getting the nod.
Question 3: Which Rams player on defense is most likely to surprise and win a starting spot?
The inside linebacker spot appeared to be the biggest pre-training camp battle but apparently Nate Landman has run away with the spot. So that leaves the secondary as the area with the most contention. I’m going with Jaylen McCullough. The Rams like to deploy three safeties in the majority of their defensive snaps and he should be given a starting nod.
Question 4: Which Rams player on defense is most in danger of losing starting role?
Darious Williams or Omar Speights. Darious Williams leash won’t be long if he struggles. The Rams may not have a superstar but they have depth that has plenty of playing experience. Cobie Durant and Quentin Lake will be the other two starters, so that leaves Emmanuel Forbes and Derion Kendrick on the bench. Forbes could replace Williams at the first sign of trouble. Omar Speights on the other hand will need to hold off Shaun Dolac. I imagine Speights leash will be a hair longer as Dolac learns the defense.
Question 5: Which player is most in danger of getting cut?
Colby Parkinson. If Terrance Ferguson has shown enough promise that would leave Parkinson as TE3 on the depth chart. I doubt Los Angeles wants to pay a tight end sitting on the bench $9.83 million. They can save $5.2 million if they release him.
Question 6: Which game on the schedule is most important to the Rams season?
With how competitive the NFC West is year to year, it has to be one of those 6 games. Week 14 at Arizona is the fourth divisional game for the Rams. I think we will know at that point whether they are a playoff team or missing out.
Question 7: Which game are Rams fans most overlooking (trap game)?
Week 13 at Carolina. Weeks 11, 12, and 14 are divisional games. Week 15 is a rematch with Detroit. It’s very easy to overlook at Panthers team but they actually improved in the second half of 2024. They started the season 1-7 but finished 4-5 in their last 9 games. Three of those losses were one score losses (and down to the wire) against three playoff teams: the Kansas City Chiefs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Philadelphia Eagles.
Question 8: Who has the better season… Jordan Whittington or Tutu Atwell?
Even though earlier I said that Jordan Whittington would win the starting spot, I think that Tutu Atwell actually has the better season… My prediction for the two:
Whittington: 28 receptions, 305 yards, 1 TD
Atwell: 45 receptions, 609 yards, 3 TDs
Question 9: Who has the better season… Emmanuel Forbes or Cobie Durant?
I’ll go with the guy in a contract year. Durant.
Question 10: Which rookie has the best 2025 season? Which has the best career?
Jarquez Hunter and Jarquez Hunter. His explosiveness is something that the Rams RB room does not have. I think he becomes the franchise running back in 2026.