The 2019 preseason is officially underway for the Los Angeles Rams, who played their first exhibition game on Saturday night against the Oakland Raiders. They fell 14-3, mustering only 190 yards of total offense.
It was a learning experience for the younger players as the veteran starters watched from the sideline, giving them the chance to prove they’re deserving of roster spots.
Here are five key takeaways from the game.
Offensive line is still a work in progress
The Rams are going to extreme measures to figure out the backup offensive line. The starting lineup consisted of David Edwards at left tackle, Jamil Demby at left guard, Aaron Neary at center, Jeremiah Kolone at right guard and Bobby Evans lining up at right tackle. The unit had its ups and downs, but early on, it worked well.
Throughout the game, Aaron Kromer and Sean McVay moved guys around, playing Evans at left tackle, as well as Edwards at left guard and right tackle. The coaches wanted to see a lot from the rookies, so they played the most of anyone.
Sean McVay is even resting himself during the preseason
McVay allowed Shane Waldron to call plays on offense, giving him some valuable experience with that aspect of coaching. Waldron received head coaching interest this offseason, and that interest is expected to grow in 2020. McVay is putting Waldron in a position to advance his career by getting acclimated with calling plays, preparing him to become either an offensive coordinator or head coach.
The offense was vanilla, as usual in the preseason, but there were two-tight-end sets and a fair number of rollouts called for the quarterbacks. It’s unclear if this will be the approach moving forward, allowing Waldron to call all of the plays or just some of them.
Backup defensive front is shaky
The Rams’ first sack of the night didn’t come until the fourth quarter when Josh Carraway finally got home and took Nathan Peterman down. That wasn’t the first time Los Angeles pressured the quarterback, but there weren’t many instances where the Raiders’ passers felt uncomfortable in the pocket.
The Rams pass rush was almost nonexistent for most of the night, which is a huge concern. Samson Ebukam and Obgonnia Okoronkwo weren’t out there as they continue to nurse injuries, but the guys who did play are expected to be second- and third-stringers. Trevon Young didn’t show much, nor did John Franklin-Myers or Morgan Fox.
Los Angeles has to hope its starters stay healthy because the backups can’t exactly be counted on.
Blake Bortles looks like he always has
His stat line was ugly, going just 3-for-8 with 50 yards passing. The passes he did complete were nice throws, but too often he was inaccurate and didn’t put the ball where it needed to be. Granted, three drops didn’t help his cause, but it was a shaky outing nonetheless. He overthrew receivers, led them too far and his mechanics are still off.
His throwing motion, in particular, still needs work. It’s elongated, and on one throw, it almost caused him to get stripped from behind. He must work on that release to get the ball out more quickly, which has always been an issue throughout his career.
Penalties must be cleaned up
Most of the players on the field Saturday night were inexperienced young players or rookies. It was the first taste of NFL action for many of them, so there was expected to be a learning curve. That learning curve came in the form of penalties, of which the Rams committed 12 – excluding the five that were declined.
They were called for holding, illegal formations, an invalid fair catch and several other penalties. They set the offense back significantly, causing the unit to struggle to get anything going.
