The Los Angeles Rams will play their second preseason game on Saturday evening against the Los Angeles Chargers. It will be another opportunity for players to show what they can do in a live-game setting. Here are five players that will need to perform well.
QB Stetson Bennett
Bennett may have led the Rams back on a game-winning drive against the Dallas Cowboys, but he needs to show progress. The Rams backup quarterback threw four interceptions that could have been five or six. If he has another multi-interception game in the preseason, it might be time to begin considering other options, especially with Matthew Stafford dealing with hamstring tightness.
Most would like to see Bennett succeed and last week was his first in-game action in a year. However, he needs to show improvement in his decision-making. At the end of the day, Bennett is set to be the Rams backup for the first two weeks of the season. He needs to show that he can be trusted in the offense.
OL Logan Bruss
Another player that needs to show continued development is offensive lineman Logan Bruss. Bruss was arguably the most impressive offensive lineman during the first week of the preseason. Given how the first two years of his career went, it was a welcomed surprise.
However, we still need to see that in back-to-back weeks. Bruss needs to be able to build on his performance. While he made a strong case for a spot on the 53-man roster after being on the practice squad last year, he need to continue to show that he can be a valuable depth piece along the offensive line.
LB Omar Speights
It would be great to see a player break into the back of the linebacker depth chart. Right now, it still feels like Troy Reeder and Jake Hummel will be the third and fourth players behind Ernest Jones and Christian Rozeboom. However, a player like Hummel certainly isn’t a lock.
Speights performed well in his preseason debut, recording two tackles and always being near the ball. With that being said, another strong performance and he may be able to force the Rams to make a difficult decision. Even if the Rams opt to try and keep Speights on the practice squad, seeing another positive performance would be great.
CB Tre Tomlinson
Tre Tomlinson was a preseason standout last year. However, this year his spot on the roster is far from guaranteed. Tomlinson does bring some special teams value, but is a smaller cornerback and not a player that can be relied on too much as depth at the cornerback position.
Additionally, players like Josh Wallace, Charles Woods, Cam Lampkin, and Cameron McCutcheon are all fighting for roster spots. Tomlinson needs to have a good game to show that he deserves a spot on the roster.
S Jason Taylor II
The Rams seem to always have a lot of depth on the backend of the depth chart at safety. This year is no different. The Rams have a top-5 at safety in Kam Curl, Quentin Lake, John Johnson III, Russ Yeast, and Kam Kinchens. However, there may be room for a sixth if the Rams make concessions elsewhere on the roster.
Taylor is a player that the Rams drafted late last year and spent much of his rookie season injured. Players like Tanner Ingle and Jaylen McCollough will be also vying for a roster spot, making Taylor’s job even more difficult. The second-year safety needs to have a good game against the Chargers to show what he’s capable of in the defense
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