The Rams walked out of their preseason opener with a little bit of everything: Ty Simpson quieting the doubters, Max Klare flashing as both a blocker and a receiver, and a roster fight that may have just spilled beyond Los Angeles.
That last part belongs to Dean Connors.
Signed in April as one of 18 undrafted rookies, Connors came into camp as the kind of back most teams hope can survive long enough to stash on a practice squad. After Saturday, he looks like the kind of player somebody else might beat the Rams to.
With Kyren Williams, Blake Corum, Ronnie Rivers and Jarquez Hunter already crowding the room, Connors’ path in Los Angeles is narrow. But the preseason debut he put together against the Chiefs made it very hard to ignore him.
Connors touched the ball only sparingly because of the quick preseason rotations, finishing with six carries for 22 yards. The receiving work is what made the stat line pop: four catches on four targets for 29 yards, and two of those grabs went for the only touchdowns of the day. For a player trying to carve out a place in the league, that is about as loud a first impression as you can make.
What stood out wasn’t just the scoring. Connors showed off the full package that made him interesting in the first place.
He can run. He can catch.
He can block. He can run routes like a veteran.
In a Rams backfield where pass protection and all-around reliability matter, he checked every box the coaching staff wants to see. Fans noticed the touchdowns.
Coaches noticed the blocks.
And it wasn’t empty production. The article makes clear every player on the field was competing hard; Connors simply did more with his chances. He looked determined as a runner and physical in the game’s gritty moments, the kind of performance that can turn an undrafted rookie from an afterthought into a name other teams start tracking.
That may be the real takeaway here. Connors still appears to be sitting near the bottom of the Rams’ unofficial depth chart, and veterans like Rivers and Jordan Waters - who ripped off a 26-yard gain on Saturday - have the edge in experience.
Hunter also has a year in the organization after being drafted last season. So a depth-chart jump in Los Angeles might not happen overnight.
But the NFL is a league that notices players who can do everything. Connors did enough in one preseason outing to get on that radar. If the Rams try to slip him through roster cutdowns and onto the practice squad, there’s a real chance another team won’t wait around.
In Other News...
Max Klare Is Forcing A Rams Roster Decision Early
The Rams added Ohio State tight end Max Klare in the 2026 draft even with an already crowded room at the position, and his first preseason outing gave the front office something to think about right away. Against the Kansas City Chiefs, Klare caught seven of eight targets for 37 yards and showed enough as both a blocker and a receiver to stand out in a game where roster hopefuls are trying to separate themselves fast.
For a team that already had bodies at tight end, that kind of debut matters because it can change the conversation from developmental piece to immediate contender for a 53-man spot. Klare still has more proving to do, but the early signs suggest the Rams may have a tougher decision on their hands than they expected when they made the pick. [Read more 🡒]
Rams Put Ethan Evans On Notice With Curious Special Teams Move
The Rams made a curious special teams addition this week by bringing in punter Jack Bouwmeester, an Australia native who had been with the 49ers before moving on. The move gives Los Angeles some extra preseason depth at the position and adds a little more attention to Ethan Evans, who already looked the part in terms of leg strength but left some coverage questions hanging after his most recent preseason work.
Bouwmeesters arrival does not necessarily signal a full-blown competition, but it does put another leg in the building as the Rams sort through their special teams options. For Evans, the message is clear enough: big distance alone may not be enough if the rest of the operation does not line up, and the team now has another punter around to keep that discussion going. [Read more 🡒]