news-engine

The Angeles Rams had a great preseason going 3-0 with zero turnovers, and they passed each eye test you can think of. Now what? Now, they get ready for the regular season! Preseason is neat, the regular season is the real deal. The Rams had a great preseason, now what? The Los Angeles Rams had a great preseason, Tutu Atwell is back and more news on this Saturday! If the Rams come out flat, people will talk. This team is expected to be special, not decent, not good, not very good; special. This team is built from top to bottom (they appear to have depth), and they should be able to build off of their strong preseason. That is the expectation. The Rams had a good preseason. Hurray! Now, it’s time to gear up. Will the Rams have a good regular season? You don’t trade for Myles Garrett and expect not to. “In their three wins over the Chiefs, Saints and Chargers, the Rams didn’t commit a single turnover, nor did they allow a single sack. According to the NFL’s GSIS Statistics, no other team this preseason can say the same thing. They’re the only team in the league that didn’t allow a sack, and they’re one of four teams without a turnover; the other three all have one game left.“ “Ty Simpson put on another strong performance in the Los Angeles Rams’ preseason finale against the Los Angeles Chargers, helping cap off what was a historic exhibition slate for the franchise. “TY SIMPSON!” Super Bowl champion former head coach Jon Gruden posted on X on August 27, sharing a clip from the Rams of the rookie’s touchdown pass to Brennan Presley.“ “The Los Angeles Rams like the roster balance reacquiring Tutu Atwell in a trade with the Miami Dolphins gives them, and it is going over with the family of star quarterback and reigning MVP Matthew Stafford, as his wife, Kelly Stafford, let on. “Ahhhh!!! My girls are gonna be so excited [smiling face holding back tears and hands raised emojis],” Kelly Stafford captioned a post on her Instagram story on August 27. She included the words over a graphic announcing Atwell’s return to the Rams.“ “Additionally, Atwell won’t bump any wide receivers that were previously going to make the team off the roster. That’s an indication the Rams could keep as many as seven wideouts. “No. It had nothing to do with that,” McVay said. It was exclusively a guy that we’re familiar with that you could really get at what we felt like was good for us and good for Jarquez. He’ll do a good job for the Dolphins. It’s never easy when you have a guys that are such great people. But we’re familiar with Tutu. He adds depth, gives us an opportunity to be able to have that speed element and he can do some different things. It had nothing to do with anything other than adding depth to the receiver room.” “Entering his fourth season in Horns, Bennett is either worthy of the backup role or he isn’t. And the fact that he hasn’t yet been named QB2 is telling. The former Georgia quarterback is playing in the last season of his rookie contract. There is no more wiggle room. What if Los Angeles sat Bennett for a different reason altogether? Teams often sit players who are the topic of trade talks. Sitting players limits the injury risk that could derail negotiations.“ “CJ Daniels isn’t guaranteed a spot on the active roster ahead of the Sept. 10 showdown against the San Francisco 49ers in Melbourne, Australia. Even though Daniels has impressed fans in the NFL Preseason. DaSilva even shared the “concerning” part involving the past Miami Hurricanes star. “There was a lot of excitement about Daniels entering training camp and the preseason, and while he didn’t do anything wrong this summer, the Rams’ depth at wide receiver is great – especially with Atwell back. Plus, it’s a little bit concerning that he played so deep into the final preseason game,” DaSilva wrote on Friday.“ “We’ve got three quarterbacks on our roster,” McVay said after Thursday’s preseason win over the Chargers. “Obviously, we’ve got the reigning MVP of the league. And then we got two guys that we feel really good about. And if you say, ‘Hey, what does that really mean?’ That’s what it means. We feel really good about those two guys. I’m not pigeon-holeing myself into any sort of decision other than I feel really good about Stetson Bennett. I feel really good about Ty Simpson.” The wheels were set in motion at the moment the Rams drafted Simpson. When Jimmy Garoppolo did not re-sign in free agency, the depth chart was already forming: Stafford as the starter, Bennett as the backup, and Simpson as an emergency reserve.“ “Around this time each year, teams make surprising decisions during final roster cuts. Players whose roster spots seemed safe get cut and sent to waivers, shocking the fanbase. The Los Angeles Rams aren’t immune to making unexpected decisions, with the release of John Franklin-Myers in 2019 immediately coming to mind. The Rams’ roster is mostly set in the eyes of Sean McVay and Les Snead, but fans may have different expectations for who Los Angeles will keep. These five players have a good chance to make the team, but they could wind up being surprise cuts by the Rams.“ Can Rams defense end LA’s shockingly long shutout drought? (sports.yahoo) “During the Sean McVay era, it’s been the offense carrying the Los Angeles Rams for the most part. Only once since 2017 have the Rams finished a season better than 10th in points allowed. That was in 2020, when the Rams ranked first in points and yards allowed on defense – a dominant defense wasted by an underwhelming offense. They’ve had star players come and go but it’s hard to say the Rams have had a better collective defense than the one they’ve assembled in 2026. With Myles Garrett, Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson, Kobie Turner, Byron Young and others, the Rams have the potential to be the NFL’s No. 1 defense.“ “ESPN’s model set his projected mean sack total at 10.1, which is fifth among all players. Aidan Hutchinson (12.5), Micah Parsons (11.1), Will Anderson Jr. (10.5) and Nik Bonitto (10.3) all finished higher than Garrett. This is Walder’s explanation for Garrett’s low projection. Yes, I’m as surprised as you are that Garrett is not No. 1 on this list. Even though I know how the model works, I still thought the NFL-record 23 sacks from last season would be enough to put him over the top. Not quite, it turns out! There are three primary factors working against Garrett: 1. He is 30 years old 2. The Rams blitzed only 19% of the time last season, the second-lowest rate in the NFL 3. Los Angeles faces a quarterback slate that takes sacks less frequently than average” Comment of the Day: “I would have liked to see Simpson air a few out. One thing for sure, the guy has poise. If he was rattled at times he didn’t show it. Coaches can’t teach speed and the same goes for courage under fire. You have it, or you don’t. I read a great quote regarding heroism. I’ll change it to “leadership”. When a (leader) is scared, he’s the only one that knows it.“ -oldfartramfan Feedpost of the Day: The Rams face a serious roster decision regarding Dean Connors With their preseason concluded, the Rams face some serious roster decisions, and the one I'm most interested in centers on Dean Connors. Signed as an UDFA in April, he's been a complete, pleasant surprise to many Rams fans, including myself. During his college career at Rice (2022-24) and Houston (2025), Connors had a 5.2-yard rushing average, accumulating 2656 total yards and 22 TDs. He also had 147 receptions for 1,166 receiving yards and nine touchdown receptions. Connors was also the only FBS player with 700+ rushing yards and 400+ receiving yards in 2023 and 2024, and one of five FBS players to do it twice in the last decade. He is the Swiss Army knife the Rams don't have. I've heard many people compare his play to Christian McCaffrey, and that's a perfect comparison. He runs with a quickness and power that stood out every time he touched the ball in preseason. And while most running backs' receptions tend to be checkdowns or a quick hitch pass to a space, Connors actually runs routes like a wide receiver. In the second view of this TD pass from Alex Caldwell, it even looks like he's taking lessons from Davante Adams on the shimmy shake. WHAT ELSE DOES CONNORS BRING TO THE TABLE? According to Rams Wire, Connors has also shown a willingness and capability in special teams snaps, something Sean McVay looks for. Blocking is another skill he looks for, and Connors has delivered as I noted after the KC game: In addition, against the Chiefs, he had some terrific blocks, blocks of the bone-jarring category. The question becomes: are the Rams going to carry four running backs like they usually do, or will they use a spot to fill in more depth elsewhere? I've seen many predictions of Connors going to the practice squad, but I doubt he'd clear waivers. With the Rams' abundance of talent this year, every team in the league will be watching who they cut, and it wouldn't surprise me if they set some kind of record for most players picked on waivers. I really hope Connors isn't one of them.