The preseason kicks off for the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday when they host the Dallas Cowboys at SoFi Stadium. Matthew Stafford, Davante Adams and other starters will be in street clothes for this game as the Rams plan to rest their top players, but there's plenty of competition up and down the roster among backups.
So which roster battles are the most important ones to watch on Saturday? We've got five spots worth monitoring throughout the game, both in terms of who performs well and how much each player plays.
Blake Corum and Jarquez Hunter are both expected to play against the Cowboys, so the competition for RB2 is about to heat up. It's interesting that Corum is even playing at all after Sean McVay held him out last preseason, a sign that he hasn't yet secured the backup job behind Kyren Williams.
It'll be fun to watch both Corum and Hunter battle it out on the field this preseason.
D.J. Humphries looks like he'll be the backup to Alaric Jackson at left tackle, but he may not be the top option behind Rob Havenstein on the right side. Instead, the Rams could go with someone like Warren McClendon Jr., David Quessenberry or A.J. Arcuri at that spot if they feel Humphries is exclusively a left tackle.
Keep an eye on those backups to see how much they play at right tackle.
Kobie Turner, Poona Ford and Braden Fiske will sit out the preseason, giving the backups a great opportunity to make an impression. That group includes Ty Hamilton, Tyler Davis, Larrell Murchison, Desjuan Johnson and a host of undrafted rookies.
We'll see how much Davis plays after Sean McVay called him a player who will be a "major factor" this season, but it'd be good for him to get some reps before Week 1. They're all battling for valuable snaps behind the starters and considering it's a position that rotates often, the primary backups are extremely valuable.
McVay highlighted the outside linebackers as a group he's excited to watch in the preseason and for good reason. After Jared Verse and Byron Young, things are wide open. Keir Thomas, Nick Hampton, Josaiah Stewart and Brennan Jackson are the top backups to watch as the season approaches, beginning on Saturday.
Not only are they competing for playing time, but everyone except Stewart is battling to simply stay on the roster. Thomas has been a preseason standout in the past for the Rams so we'll see if he can keep that up.
On the initial depth chart, the Rams listed Xavier Smith over Britain Covey on punt returns and Jordan Whittington over Blake Corum on kickoff returns. Smith, Covey and Corum will all play in the preseason, but it's unclear whether Whittington will.
Regardless, our eyes are squarely on the punt return competition between Smith and Covey. McVay expressed excitement about watching both players at wide receiver, which could also influence their decision when it comes to the return spot.