The Los Angeles Rams begin training camp practices on Saturday, July 27, beginning their march back to the postseason. There will be several positional battles taking place in practice, but today we’re looking at one-on-one matchups on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.
Here are the five best to watch in training camp.
Marcus Peters vs. Brandin Cooks
Peters had an up-and-down 2018 season with the Rams, but fortunately, his best play came at the end of the year. He heads into training camp attempting to carry that over into 2019, but it’s not as if he’ll have easy matchups in camp. Cooks will be on his side of the field often and he presents a tough test for Peters.
Cooks’ speed will be a challenge for Peters right out of the gate in camp and should create for some great one-on-one matchups down the field. If Peters can cover Cooks, it’ll set him on the right path before facing Michael Thomas, Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry, Mike Evans, Julio Jones and A.J. Green, among others.
Brian Allen vs. Greg Gaines/Sebastian Joseph-Day
This may not be the most exciting matchup, but it’s one that will go a long way to determining how the interior of both lines will hold up this season. Allen is taking over for John Sullivan at center and has very little competition for the job behind him. Therefore, if he struggles against Gaines and Joseph-Day, the Rams have few other options.
Gaines and Joseph-Day will be battling for the starting nose tackle position, a void left by Ndamukong Suh. Their potential as run defenders is good, but as pass rushers, it remains to be seen how much they offer.
Jared Goff vs. Eric Weddle
Weddle is one of the smartest players in the NFL and will make everyone around him better – not just on the defensive side, either. His experience and instincts will help Goff as a quarterback, forcing him to use his eyes to manipulate the defense and make smart throws in the middle of the field.
Several Rams players and even Sean McVay have raved about how smart of a player Weddle is, helping get defenders aligned and just making heady plays in the secondary. That aspect of his game is going to help prepare Goff for the upcoming season.
Sean McVay vs. Wade Phillips
Phillips doesn’t often vary his defenses so McVay will know what’s coming most of the time. However, that doesn’t mean it’ll be easy for the offense to move the ball consistently in practice. McVay will likely experiment with groupings besides 11 personnel this summer after expressing a desire to do so recently.
It’ll be worth making note of how often the Rams have three receivers on the field, how frequently Darrell Henderson gets on the field with Todd Gurley, and whether the Rams use more two-tight end sets.
Dante Fowler Jr. vs. Rob Havenstein
Fowler is entering this season with a lot of pressure on his shoulders. He signed a $14 million deal with the Rams before free agency, coming back for one more year in L.A. He’ll need to post solid sack and pressure numbers to live up to that contract and hopefully a full offseason of work with the Rams will help his cause.
Rushing against a premier right tackle in Havenstein certainly won’t hurt. Havenstein is a powerful run blocker who’s still very capable as a pass protector, while Fowler likes to use his speed and quickness to get around tackles. Fowler will need his full rush arsenal against Havenstein (and Andrew Whitworth) in training camp.
