After years of going all-in, Rams now need young, unproven players to 'figure stuff out'
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Matthew Stafford didn’t have much of a relationship with Stetson Bennett before the Los Angeles Rams drafted the rookie quarterback in the fourth round. But Stafford and Bennett have two major things in common: They are former Georgia Bulldogs and each of them have won a championship at SoFi Stadium, albeit on different levels.
"He's like all the other young guys on this team, just trying to figure it out and trying to figure out what it's like to be an NFL player, where to be, what to do and continue to try to kind of carve his way, which is fun to see and fun to be a part of," Stafford said of Bennett. "He's a really talented kid, runs around, makes plays, throws it great, but he's like every other rookie. They're just doing the best they can to try and figure stuff out as quickly as possible."
Stafford's comments symbolize the current state of the Rams. Entering training camp, the Rams roster included 36 rookies. Fourteen of them were selected by the club in the 2023 draft.
Rookies and young, unproven players fill the Rams’ roster. They are trying to "figure stuff out" with the regular season less than a month away.
It’s beneficial that the Rams have two sets of joint practices, against the Las Vegas Raiders this week and the Denver Broncos next week, in addition to three preseason games.
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"I think what we can try to do is challenge them to use the tools, not be afraid to fail so that you can actually have some of that growth occur in a smart way," Rams coach Sean McVay said. "You want to be able to try out some of these fundamentals and techniques in a situation, in a setting like these practices. Go shoot your shot in some of these preseason games, but I think the more that we can create those situations and scenarios, whether it be on the practice field, these preseason games, and then ultimately accumulating experience in the games, the better equipped our guys are going to be."
Among the Rams’ newcomers, rookie second-round pick Steve Avila is expected to start at guard. Bennett is the leader in the clubhouse to be the team’s backup quarterback behind Stafford.
On defense, rookie third-round pick Byron Young is already listed atop the depth chart at outside linebacker and rookie sixth-round pick Tre Tomlinson is expected to play significant snaps at cornerback.
During Wednesday’s joint practice with the Raiders, Tomlinson covered Raiders star wide receiver Davante Adams on multiple occasions. Adams got the better of the rookie cornerback but the experience lining up against one of the top wideouts in the NFL was invaluable.
Then there are the unproven players, such as third-year outside linebacker Michael Hoecht and third-year receiver Tutu Atwell. Both are slated to be key contributors this year.
Atwell’s built a solid rapport with Stafford. His development has been evident as he made multiple plays against the Raiders defense during their joint session.
“He made a lot of plays and that's been consistent from the spring,” McVay said. “What I love about Tutu is the work that he's put in is paying off.”
The Rams are going to find out a lot about their young and unproven players on both sides of the ball this season as they build around franchise stars Aaron Donald, Cooper Kupp and Stafford.
Eighteen months have passed since the Rams hoisted the Lombardi Trophy after winning Super Bowl 56. They went all in a couple seasons ago to do just that. This year, the Rams are starting anew, literally.
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Follow USA TODAY Sports' Tyler Dragon on Twitter @TheTylerDragon.