The Los Angeles Rams have spent training camp reinforcing the obvious in a lot of places. Matthew Stafford is still carving up defensive backs with no-look throws.
Davante Adams and Puka Nacua keep doing what they do best. Myles Garrett is in the backfield.
Some things, as they say, are not exactly breaking news.
But the first couple of weeks in camp have also surfaced a few developments that weren’t part of the expected script. With only two weeks of practice in the books, nothing is set in stone. Still, there are a handful of storylines worth watching closely because they could matter once the regular season arrives.
One of the more interesting names is veteran linebacker Grant Stuard. He was brought in to help on special teams, and that part of his game is already established.
At 5-foot-11 and 225 pounds, he’s undersized for the position, but he enters his sixth season with a reputation as a special teams savant. What’s making him stand out now is that he’s also getting a chance to prove he can help on defense.
Stuard played a significant number of defensive snaps for the Indianapolis Colts in 2024, and if he keeps flashing in that role, he could push a marginal linebacker like Elias Neal off the roster. His stock is moving fast.
Another situation worth tracking is the uncertainty around left tackle Alaric Jackson. There’s still a possibility he faces disciplinary action from the NFL to open the year, and he’s also back in treatment for a blood-clotting condition that requires him to sit out practice at regular intervals.
That has opened the door for veteran tackle David Quessenberry to take the reps with the starters. It also almost certainly creates more chances for rookie Keagen Trost, even though that hasn’t been officially reported.
On the defensive side, Josaiah Stewart has been one of the camp’s clearest upward movers. He was already expected to take a step in Year 2, but he’s pushing beyond that.
Garrett’s lower-body soreness has limited his workload, and Stewart has taken full advantage of the extra snaps, building out his pass-rush moves in the process. Coaches, beat writers, and fans are all noticing.
The Rams need that kind of leap, too, because their outside rush leans heavily on Garrett, Stewart, and Byron Young. The former third-round pick isn’t just holding his own.
He’s turning heads.
And then there’s the quarterback situation, where Stetson Bennett has made his case loud and clear. Ty Simpson was apparently being projected by some as the primary backup, but that idea doesn’t line up with the way things have played out.
The Rams have a long habit of leaning toward veterans over rookies, and the signs have pointed toward Bennett for a while. He had already shown growth by mastering a tight end-focused offense in college, and coaching hires like former Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury have helped accelerate that development.
Bennett’s 2025 preseason only strengthened the case. He looked like a quarterback who had turned the corner, much like he did in 2024 when he helped the team to two come-from-behind victories.
Last year, though, he was running the offense with a group of rookies and bubble players. This time, the command has looked different.
With Jimmy Garoppolo considering retirement, Bennett took the opportunity to settle whatever lingering doubts remained.
Sean McVay did not formally name a second-string quarterback, but he made his view pretty clear after practice.
"We were kind of unscripted, and Matthew was out here, and so Stetson got the work that he's earned."
Fans will get another obvious clue when Bennett starts sitting out preseason games. Until then, the message from camp is pretty simple: he’s running as QB2.
Training camp is supposed to be about more than just getting ready. It’s where competition actually shows up. For the Rams, these early weeks have already revealed a few real battles, and a few players who are making the most of their chances.
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Garrett had been held out of the last four-practice block before getting back into team drills at the start of practice. For the Rams, that turn matters less as a headline than as a reminder of how important it is to keep the defensive front on schedule, especially with camp designed to balance competition and preservation at this stage of the summer. [Read more 🡒]
Rams Rookies Are Already Fighting For Bigger Roles In Camp
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Keenan, Max Klare and Trost have had more limited reported activity so far, but that figures to change once the preseason opens up and the reps become easier to distribute. For a team always looking for cheap depth and unexpected contributors, the next stretch of camp should tell a lot about which rookies are ready to push for bigger roles and which ones still need time to catch up. [Read more 🡒]