In about a week, the Los Angeles Rams will take the field for the organization’s first game of the 2025 season—preseason, that is. And while this next month may be lost to the excitement the regular season brings, in the present, it offers a sign of things to come—but only if you look close enough.
Here’s What Matters:
The Running Backs
RB1 Kyren Williams has made the most of his last two seasons’ statistics. In totaling an average of 1,415.5 yards from scrimmage and 15.5 touchdowns, there seemingly hasn’t been much to debate on who will line up behind quarterback Matthew Stafford. However, there’s a reason G.M. Les Snead has drafted running backs in back-to-back drafts. It isn’t just insurance.
Williams has had his share of injury scares. He also suffers from the wretched “fumble bug.” He’s made up for 5 turnovers last season—and an additional postseason fumble, acting as a pivotal change of possession in the team’s divisional round loss. On top of this, Williams is in the final year of his rookie deal. Even as he’s made it clear he wants to play nowhere else but Los Angeles, his stature with the team will depend on the vision of head coach Sean McVay and Les Snead, and the play of Blake Corum, Ronnie Rivers, and rookie Jarquez Hunter.
All three will heed the call. But, depending on their performances, we could be looking at a rotating door of backs come Week 1 of the regular season. Rivers provides solid, reliable play. His time covering for Williams shows as much. Corum, a third-round pick only a year ago, enters his sophomore campaign with a few questions to answer. Most importantly, was he worth the high selection?
All being noted, when the preseason comes to an end, expect Jarquez Hunter to have taken the bulk of the carries. The fourth-round rookie offers the most intrigue to the position group, and if Corum can’t show up, he could climb up the depth chart rather quickly.
The Tight Ends
The new-look Rams have been shaped by electric rookies replacing previous Super Bowl vets. In the wake of this, there remain a few stragglers who continue to prove their worth. Tyler Higbee has been a player who’s locked down the starting job for most of his years playing. However, his availability and age actively work against him. With that comes the addition of rookie tight end Terrance Ferguson.
Ferguson, drafted from the University of Oregon with the 46th overall pick, is known for his acceleration. Surely, his athleticism will pair nicely alongside a knowledgeable tight end. The first-year talent can soak up all the intangibles still unlearned. If Higbee goes down again, we’ll look back on Ferguson’s time in the preseason as a way to assess his talents.
The Defensive Coordinator
Chris Shula, grandson of the legendary Don Shula, made an honest name for himself last season. With the emergence of young defensive stars like Jared Verse and Braden Fiske, Shula was able to calculate a fiery game plan week in and week out. This season, he’ll look to maintain and build off his successes.
Perhaps he doesn’t show his hand as boldly. Or, he could see what he’s got in rookie selections like Josaiah Stewart and Chris Paul Jr., sending the heat fast, deciphering his difference makers. With a plethora of talent (even new roster additions like Nate Landman and Shaun Dolac seem to be making waves), it’ll be interesting to see how Shula configures his latest iteration of defensive weapons.
Here’s What Doesn’t:
The Quarterbacks
After the Rams struck a deal with the Atlanta Falcons, Snead made it clear he wasn’t interested in the talent the 2025 QB class had to offer. McVay is riding the Stafford train until the wheels fall off. For good reason, too. So if the quarterback play this preseason has to offer looks sloppy, don’t fret.
The team looks comfortable with Jimmy Garoppolo taking snaps. In fact, his last outing in Week 18 of the regular season was almost… impressive? Next up behind the vet are Stetson Bennett IV and Dresser Winn. More likely than not, Bennet will be taking the majority of snaps. This, unfortunately for Bennet, will be a make-or-break stint.
If unable to capture anything but eye-popping interception lines, the former Georgia champion will be unable to secure a spot on the 53-man roster.
The Defense
Yes, Shula deserves his flowers. He will continue to be a force to reckon with, matching the firepower of McVay’s offensive schemes. However, the core of the Rams’ D performs; ultimately, it will be without their star second- and third-year stars.
In the absence of such performers, that will leave the team with a husk of their regular season form. The most interesting part (or the most concerning part) is the team’s secondary. We’ll wait to evaluate what that position group shapes up to be, now considering the injury of safety Kam Curl. But if a few hungry rookies can prove more than their bill, L.A. would consider it a win.
The Preseason
Ultimately, Sean McVay’s group has the least at stake here. There are notable rookies who will try to outperform their expectations. Inevitably, the Rams’ head coach will reel them back in. He is a leader who reinvented the offseason, acting as the first coach to not play starters at all.
The development will come further along in the season, and if there is another Puka Nacua or Jared Verse waiting to pop, they will do so on their own schedule. If anything, McVay proved none of it mattered until the playoffs. Coming off the 2024-’25 campaign, the Rams began their year 1-4, debating whether to trade Cooper Kupp. Abruptly, they turned the tables and held the hot iron to the Philadelphia Eagles until their eventual defeat.
Watch the rookie names whose stats pop off the page. The linebacker with twice as many tackles as anyone else? The running back averaging more than 5 yards a carry? Trust that McVay and his staff will find the ample time to adjust and see fit where each draft selection can help most to win now.
Main Image: Kirby Lee – Imagn Images
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