The Rams finished training camp on Thursday and are now leaving Loyola Marymount for Woodland Hills, with a few clear risers and a few players who still have work to do. Over the past two weeks, some guys made real noise. Others barely moved the needle.
Stetson Bennett was one of the more notable standouts, even if he wasn’t the biggest. He came into camp with some pressure around the backup quarterback spot, and there were people who might have thought Ty Simpson could pass him by before camp ended. That never really happened.
Bennett did fade a bit as camp went on, but his control of the offense drew steady praise from the coaching staff. He handled the snaps usually reserved for the backup quarterback throughout camp, and despite the attention on that competition, it never looked like much of one.
On the other end of the spectrum, Jarquez Hunter left camp with more questions than answers. The Rams may not know much more about him now than they did when camp opened. He barely got any mention over the last two weeks, and with roster decisions looming, his spot is anything but secure.
The preseason figures to be a major proving ground for Hunter. He should see plenty of work with Kyren Williams and Blake Corum being rested, and if he doesn’t take advantage, the Rams could easily decide to move on.
The clearest winner of camp was CJ Daniels. The sixth-round pick in April kept showing up play after play and turned plenty of heads over the last two weeks. There was already buzz around him before camp started, but he still outperformed expectations.
Daniels built strong chemistry with Stetson Bennett and put himself in position to fight for a real role in the offense. He should be one of the players to watch in the preseason, where he’s likely to get a heavy workload. If he keeps building on what he showed in camp, the Rams will have some interesting decisions to make about where he fits in the wide receiver rotation.
Xavier Smith also found himself in a tricky spot. He entered camp with what looked like the inside track to the WR3 job, but early on he was also battling Kyren Williams for punt return duties.
Smith could still hold onto that special teams role, and that would matter. If the Rams instead go with Williams, Smith’s value drops. The same logic the Rams applied with Tutu Atwell because of his lack of special teams value would apply here too.
There were also some encouraging signs in the secondary, and Cam Lampkin deserves a mention for the way he showed up during camp. Even so, Forbes made a strong second-week push and showed he can be useful depth behind Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson.
Forbes came close to picking off Ty Simpson twice late last week, then added a pass breakup while covering Davante Adams on Thursday. As he heads into his second year in the system, he may be starting to settle in with more confidence. If he becomes more consistent, that gives the Rams a good problem to sort out in the secondary.
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Rams Could Still Add One More Weapon To This Passing Attack
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Kayshon Boutte has emerged as a name to watch in that discussion. The Patriots wideout is entering the final year of his rookie deal and has been viewed as a trade candidate, which gives the Rams a plausible route if they want to keep adding to their aerial attack. Boutte has been a steady contributor in New England over the past two seasons, and for a team already built around high-end passing talent, the question is whether Los Angeles decides it wants one more piece. [Read more 🡒]