The Los Angeles Rams kick off their 2025 preseason schedule tonight against the Dallas Cowboys. It’ll be the first chance for some of the players to see the field and get ready for the regular season.
While the preseason result doesn’t matter, the play on the field will be invaluable for head coach Sean McVay’s evaluation process as he finalizes his roster and roles for this season.
The starters likely won’t play, so McVay told reporters this week he’s excited to see some of the young players perform on the field. The one area he’s most excited to see, though, is the Rams’ backup running backs and outside linebackers.
“I’m looking forward to watching Blake [Corum], watching Jarquez Hunter and Ronnie [Rivers] and those guys run,” McVay said. “Looking forward to seeing our outside linebackers play. Obviously, we know [Jared] Verse and [Byron Young] ‘BY’ are solidified. There’s a lot of great competition behind those guys for a lot of different roles and responsibilities based on the personnel that we’re in and that’s another spot that I’m looking for.”
These two position groups are crucial for McVay to determine the actual depth he has this year.
Kyren Williams is the entrenched starter in the backfield and Corum has a year of experience, but seeing how Corum and Hunter play will help determine their roles in the offense moving forward. Corum could be more of a true bellcow backup, while Hunter might be more of a change-of-pace back.
Meanwhile, the Rams have a lot of backup outside linebackers that defensive coordinator Chris Shula will need to deploy on given defensive plays. Guys like Brennan Jackson, Nick Hampton and Keir Thomas are back, and the Rams also have a few rookies in third-rounder Josaiah Stewart and UDFAs Jamil Muhammad and Josh Pearcy.
This is what the preseason is all about, and the Rams are about to find out how deep their roster can be in 2025.