The Los Angeles Rams are set to play their second preseason game on Saturday against the Los Angeles Chargers. While the Rams won’t be playing their starters, the Chargers are expected to play theirs with Justin Herbert making his preseason debut. The Rams had some solid performances last week and will look to keep that going. Here are five players that I’ll be watching closely.
1. QB Stetson Bennett
Stetson Bennett undoubtedly had his best game as a Rams quarterback last week against the Dallas Cowboys. Bennett looked confident and comfortable in the offense and stood tall in the pocket, remaining consistent throughout the game. While he had one interception, the offense moved the ball consistently with Bennett under center.
The next test for Bennett will be whether or not he can follow it up in another game one week later. We’ve seen that Bennett can be productive for one game, but can he string two solid performances together? I want to see the same comfort and confidence from Bennett this week. If he can do that, the Rams may have found their long-term backup after Jimmy Garoppolo.
2. RB Jarquez Hunter
This isn’t to say that Hunter was disappointing in the first game against the Cowboys, but it’s fair to say that we need to see more. Hunter lacked patience behind the line of scrimmage and too often ran into the backs of his offensive linemen rather than waiting for a hole to open up. While he ran hard, he could have run smarter.
A lot of this will come with experience as Hunter gets used to the speed of the NFL and how quickly lanes go from being open to being filled. In 11 carries, Hunter averaged 3.7 yards per attempt which was similar to Blake Corum’s 3.6 yards per attempt on nine carries. Still, if Hunter is going to be the team’s explosive back, he needs to do more.
3. iOL Willie Lampkin
Despite Willie Lampkin dominating the Cowboys defensive line snap after snap, there are still some doubts about how he can hold up against NFL talent. Much of Lampkin’s success last week did come against bottom of the roster players. However, if he can do it again against a team with better defensive line depth, it’s going to be very difficult for the Rams to keep him off of the 53-man roster.
Like Bennett, Lampkin is another player where it will be important to see some consistency. Lampkin needs to display a similar level of understanding leverage, especially in the run game. Again, the Cowboys lacked depth along the defensive line. That won’t be the case with the Chargers who are six or seven players deep in that position group. It should provide a good litmus test for Lampkin.
4. WR Brennan Presley
One player that didn’t get talked about a lot last week, but should have, was wide receiver Brennan Presley. Xavier Smith and Konata Mumpfield dominated the conversation at wide receiver against the Cowboys. Still, Presley had a solid performance. Presley had just two catches, but one resulted in a touchdown. He also had one rushing attempt on a jet sweep that went for 15 yards as well as a kickoff return that went for 38.
Presley likely isn’t going to make the roster, but he’s almost certainly a lock for the practice squad. This is exactly the type of wide receiver that the Rams have developed in past years, similar to Smith. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Rams prioritize Presley and it would be nice to see him get more targets in the passing game.
5. EDGE Nick Hampton
This isn’t to say that Nick Hampton was bad against the Dallas Cowboys, but he didn’t necessarily stand out either. The Rams defense only had four pressures, and one of them came from Josaiah Stewart who is competing with Hampton. There are some question marks behind Jared Verse and Byron Young and Hampton is the most experienced out of the depth. This would have been his opportunity to rise to the occasion. That simply didn’t happen last week.
If the Rams have a surprise cut, it may end up being Hampton. He likely makes the roster, but is certainly someone to watch. He’s dealt with injuries and just hasn’t stood out one way or the other. Hampton needs to have a good game against the Chargers.
Honorable Mentions
FS Nate Valcarcel
Valcarcel is more of a candidate for the practice squad, but he displayed good range last week. I’m excited to see what he can continue to do.
CB Cam Lampkin
The Rams showed that they have some intriguing young depth in the secondary with Cam Lampkin being one of them. He’s had a good offseason and had an interception against the Cowboys.
LB Shaun Dolac
It will be interesting to see if the Rams would consider keeping five linebackers. Dolac had a strong game against the Cowboys and will give the Rams a lot to think about if he does well on Saturday.
