Rams QB Matthew Stafford Developing Chemistry With Young Cast of Receivers

A rookie wideout with a real shot at winning the team’s No. 3 receiver job is among those impressing so far at camp for Los Angeles.

It was somewhat disappointing to see Aaron Donald standing next to practice dummies instead of knocking them backwards at the start of the Rams’ Sunday practice in Irvine, Calif.

That signified that the All-Pro defensive lineman had a rest day, one of many veterans who got the day off. Also, wide receiver Cooper Kupp has been sidelined the past week with a hamstring injury.

Initially, I beat myself up for choosing to visit the Rams—the fifth stop on my nine-team training camp tour—on a day so many veterans were in shorts and T-shirts. Even former Rams players DeSean Jackson and John Johnson were out in street clothes to watch from the sidelines.

But then I decided to look at it from a glass-half-full perspective. Quarterback Matthew Stafford participated in Sunday’s practice, giving him plenty of repetitions with inexperienced players. It provided a good glimpse of what an actual regular-season game could look like for Sean McVay’s rebuilt squad.

But don’t tell the Rams this is a rebuilding season. They prefer to say retooling. We’ll find out soon enough what the proper word is for this next phase in L.A.

There could be plenty of growing pains for this young roster, but it was evident from my visit Sunday that they have many intriguing pieces.

Stafford only played nine games last season due to an elbow injury and is looking too get back into playing shape :: Kirby Lee/USA Today Sports

Best play I saw: Stafford had several deep connections with his inexperienced cast of wideouts, but let’s go with his downfield play to undrafted rookie Braxton Burmeister, who beat tight coverage near the right sideline to haul in the ball.

Stafford also had a few downfield connections with Tutu Atwell, the team’s 2021 second-round pick, and newcomer Demarcus Robinson, the former Chiefs playmaker. Robinson has had a strong camp and might have already secured a 53-man roster spot, but he still has a ways to go to earn playing time next to Kupp and Van Jefferson. Atwell and Ben Skowronek are also in contention for the No. 3 wideout role.

There’s also a strong rookie candidate, but more on him later.

Best thing I heard: Stafford developing chemistry with inexperienced players and displaying arm strength are good signs, but none of that will matter come the regular season if the offensive line can’t protect him again. Last year, the Rams had a ridiculous 12 starting offensive line combinations during their first 13 games.

The Rams prioritized the offensive line in the draft by adding second-round pick Steve Avila, who might be one of the starting guards, along with Tremayne Anchrum, who only started one game in 2022 due to injury.

With more depth across the offensive line, the Rams could see improvements this season.

“You want to keep your guys healthy, you want to make sure they have enough time to make plays, you want to keep your running backs clean,” Anchrum told Sports Illustrated. “You want to establish a line of dominance and a mentality. And that doesn’t change year to year, whether we won the Super Bowl or whether we went 1–16. Our mentality hasn’t changed. We want to be the best in the league. We’re going to work the hardest out of anybody in the room.”

The rookie who caught my eye: The Rams might have one of the biggest steals of the 2023 draft with fifth-round pick Puka Nacua.

Sure, that might be premature, but the 6'2" Nacua has already received plenty of snaps with the first-team offense, and that was before Kupp got injured. He’s a strong candidate to be the third starting wideout, and it was easy to see why with the handful of plays he made Sunday with Stafford throwing in his direction.

Stafford with a perfectly placed ball to @AsapPuka! 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/QSaf4bpsQq

— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) August 7, 2023

Veteran who caught my eye: Finding a veteran for this category was pretty tough with many of them getting a rest day. So, I’ll focus on a few second-year defensive players who will be asked to grow up quickly in 2023.

Cornerback Cobie Durant and safeties Russ Yeast and Quentin Lake will be counted on to make plays, and if they don’t, it could be a long year for Donald and his inexperienced crew. The defensive backs from the 2022 draft had a good amount of wins versus Stafford and his skill players.

Nickname playlist: I'm going to take the loss here. I missed the music portion of practice because I was chatting with GM Les Snead for a story that will come out later this week. And that’s a shameless plug. Stay tuned.