The Los Angeles Rams wrapped up OTAs last week and now enter the final phase of the spring workout program: mandatory minicamp. Every practice up until this point has been voluntary, but players can now be fined for not showing up.
That shouldn’t be an issue for the Rams this year with Aaron Donald signed long-term and no holdouts on the horizon. But when the team does get on the field for these final days of practice, there will be plenty of questions worth asking.
Here are the seven biggest as Los Angeles enters minicamp, which begins on Tuesday and runs through Thursday.
How will Ndamukong Suh be replaced?
The Rams have several options at nose tackle. Greg Gaines, Sebastian Joseph-Day and Tanzel Smart will likely get a shot to replace Suh inside, with Gaines and Joseph-Day being the top contenders for the job.
Minicamp should give us a better idea of who the Rams like most at that spot, depending on who gets first-team reps. Gaines is only a rookie, but Sean McVay and Les Snead talked about him being the nose tackle in base defense immediately after the draft.
Will Todd Gurley participate?
Discussing Gurley and his knee is probably getting tiresome, but it’s a story that A) isn’t going away and B) has a real impact on the Rams. He was in attendance for OTAs, but he didn’t do any on-field work and was mostly working individually with trainers behind the scenes. The Rams said the plan all along was not to play him in OTAs, but they haven’t said anything about minicamp.
It’s unclear if Gurley will participate at all or if he’ll remain out of the public eye by continuing to rehab his knee and get ready for training camp. Surely, he’ll be in attendance and won’t skip minicamp, but it’s unclear how much he’ll actually do.
Based on how the Rams have handled this situation all offseason, don’t expect to see much of Gurley on the field, if at all.
Who will start next to Cory Littleton at ILB?
Micah Kiser is entering a big year in which he can secure a starting job after playing zero defensive snaps last season. It looks like he’s going to be the starter next to Littleton at inside linebacker after taking first-team reps in OTAs, but it’s still early.
Dakota Allen could have a strong offseason and take the job away from Kiser. It’s unlikely, but Kiser isn’t exactly a lock to start. And then there’s Clay Matthews, who said he’ll play inside and outside linebacker. That creates an interesting dynamic between him and Littleton with Matthews potentially playing inside on third downs.
Is the current group at OLB good enough?
Speaking of linebackers, is the group the Rams have outside good enough – or even better than it was at the end of last season? Probably, simply based on the fact that Matthews was added, Ogbonnia Okoronkwo will be healthy, Dante Fowler Jr. has a full offseason with the Rams. But legitimate questions still remain at that position.
If Fowler doesn’t turn into a 10-sack player, his $14 million contract won’t look so great. If Kiser struggles at inside linebacker, the Rams might be forced to play Matthews there more often than they’d like, thus hurting the pass-rush depth.
Ideally, Fowler turns his game up a notch, Matthews recaptures some of his former magic when he consistently had six-plus sacks and both Okoronkwo and Samson Ebukam make an impact. It just remains to be seen if any of those things will happen.
How much will rookies contribute?
As was the case last year, the Rams’ rookie class is more about the future than the present. They may not have a single rookie starter in 2019, which would be perfectly fine. That’s not to say their first-year players won’t contribute at all, but there are few starting jobs for the taking right now.
Gaines is the likeliest to earn the title of “starter” come Week 1 simply based on his fit at nose tackle and the Rams’ need to replace Suh. He still has to beat out other players for the job, but he has a good case. Taylor Rapp is the third safety and will get on the field in some nickel and dime packages, as will David Long at cornerback.
Darrell Henderson is arguably the most explosive back on the roster and after the Rams traded up to draft him at No. 70 overall, it’s clear he’s going to get on the field. The players least likely to contribute as rookies are offensive linemen Bobby Evans and David Edwards. Nick Scott and Dakota Allen will primarily be special teams players out of the gate, too.
How will O-line look without Saffold and Sullivan?
Rodger Saffold was a significant loss for the Rams, signing with the Titans in free agency. Los Angeles made the decision to part ways with Sullivan, who remains a free agent, but his veteran leadership and pre-snap knowledge will be missed.
All signs point to Joseph Noteboom stepping in at left guard and Brian Allen at center. That doesn’t mean the offensive line will once again be a strength, however. Noteboom must prove he has the strength to hold up inside at guard, while Allen needs to work seamlessly with Jared Goff at the line of scrimmage.
The O-line was a big reason for the Rams’ success in recent years and those two second-year players must maintain that standard.
Who will be RB2?
The Rams absolutely trust Malcolm Brown more than Henderson right now, both as a runner and a pass blocker. But trust may not be enough to keep Brown as Gurley’s primary backup. Henderson is an explosive player who can score from anywhere on the field. Brown, on the other hand, is not.
Henderson will be difficult for Brown to hold off throughout the offseason if the rookie plays the way he did at Memphis, ripping off big gain after big gain on outside zone runs. Make no mistake, the Rams like both players, but they have very different skill sets.
It’ll be worth noting how McVay gets the ball into Henderson’s hands, whether it’s as a more traditional running back or more often as a receiver.
