Although the Los Angeles Rams didn’t come away with a win on Saturday night against the Oakland Raiders, their young players did get in some good work. The Rams’ starters were held out of the game to avoid injury, as was the case last year, so it was all about the rookies and unproven players.
Sean McVay gave his rookie offensive linemen a lot of playing time – more than any other players on the roster – in an attempt to give them experience and find their best position. After looking at the snap counts, it’s easy to see which players the Rams wanted to get the most work.
Offense
Bobby Evans and David Edwards played the most of anyone on offense, lining up at several different positions. Evans didn’t come off the field once, which is telling of his current status on the depth chart.
KhaDarel Hodge was on the field for 51 percent of the offensive snaps, the most of any receiver. Johnny Mundt led the tight ends with 33 snaps played, more than Kendall Blanton (23) and Romello Brooker (18).
John Kelly was the running back of choice, playing 37 percent of the snaps. Darrell Henderson played 20 snaps, or 34 percent.
Defense
Dominique Hatfield led all defenders with 48 snaps played, followed by Troy Reeder and Nick Scott. Ramon Richards also got significant playing time, getting on the field for 26 snaps.
Steven Parker made a big impact in just 38 snaps, picking off Mike Glennon in the red zone. Josh Carraway was out there for 41 percent of the snaps and had one sack, showing well in his first game with the Rams. The same goes for Landis Durham, who played 67 percent.
Micah Kiser only played 19 percent, as did Sebastian Joseph-Day, which means the coaches didn’t need to see much from them. They’re the front-runners to be starters.
