Rams' first camp back in Southern California will feature battles at QB, receiver and secondary

Rams' first camp back in Southern California will feature battles at QB, receiver and secondary

By RICH HAMMOND / STAFF WRITER

[www.ocregister.com]

From 90 to 75 to 53, the culling of the first roster of Los Angeles Rams in more than two decades will be swift, fascinating and, for those on the fringe, painful.

It will be a history-making season, one that informally starts Tuesday when Rams rookies report to training camp at UC Irvine (followed by veterans on Thursday). The return of most starters on offense and defense means the depth chart already is well-populated, but some interesting decisions remain.

Before the Sept. 12 opener at San Francisco, the Rams must cut almost half of their roster, and that doesn’t account for players who might be poached from other rosters after being released.

As usual with the Rams, quarterbacks will be in the spotlight. That will be a position battle to watch throughout camp, as will receiver, tight end, cornerback and safety.

In a way, Jared Goff will be the focal point of all. The No. 1 overall pick in April’s draft, Goff will be throwing to those offensive players and trying to keep the ball out of the hands of the defensive backs as he goes through seven weeks of training camp and attempts to show the Rams he is ready to start.

That’s no sure bet, though the presumption is that the Rams didn’t give up a pile of draft picks to Tennessee simply to have Goff watch from the sideline. Coach Jeff Fisher has chosen his words carefully about the situation.

“`I said we’ll start him when he’s ready,” Fisher said at the end of optional workouts last month. “I didn’t say that to imply that he was going to start the opener. I said, we have options. He can start anywhere from the opener to whenever, and we haven’t changed our philosophy on that.”

It’s all but certain that Fisher will defer the decision between Goff and Case Keenum until late in camp and that Sean Mannion once again will be the third quarterback.

That’s rough for Nick Foles, last year’s deposed starter, who is set to be traded or released during camp unless Goff or Keenum suffers an injury. The only question appears to be whether Goff, who was inconsistent during summer workouts, takes over from the start or sometime midseason.

“I think as practice went on, I definitely (picked) it up quicker,” Goff said last month. “But at first they were giving me all those looks and I was like, ‘What is this? What is this?’ But as a few practices go through, you get more comfortable, you see it more often and you're able to recognize it quicker.”

Less settled is to whom Goff will be throwing the ball.

The Rams hired Mike Groh as receivers coach in January and also gave him the title of “passing game coordinator,” an implicit nod toward the idea that they will open up their traditional run-heavy offense.

After Goff, the Rams used four of their five draft picks on pass-catchers: receivers Pharoh Cooper and Michael Thomas and tight ends Tyler Higbee and Temarrick Hemingway.

That will create some competition, particularly since Cooper – one of the standouts of the June workouts – figures to crack the rotation and the Rams are unlikely to part with either of last year’s top two receivers, Kenny Britt and the field-stretching Tavon Austin.

What does that mean for a fifth-year veteran such as Brian Quick, or a receiver such as Bradley Marquez, who appeared in all 16 games as a rookie last season? Another complicating factor is the impressive summer work of undrafted free agent Nelson Spruce, a potential contributor at slot receiver.

It’s possible the receivers, collectively, could see the ball less than in 2015. At tight end, the Rams released Jared Cook in February, and while they appreciate the consistency of Lance Kendricks, they sought an upgrade in terms of pass-catching ability.

Higbee and Hemingway nursed injuries during the summer workouts, but either one could be an impactful rookie. Higbee and Hemingway each caught 38 passes in college last season, Higbee for Western Kentucky and Hemingway for South Carolina State.

“What we’re doing, as far as the younger guys are concerned,” Fisher said last month, “is we’re trying to plug them in the right spots right now and get them reps so they know what to do, so they can compete.

“Nothing worse than having a young receiver running the wrong route, especially when you have a young quarterback expecting him to be there and the ball hits the defensive player in the chest – that’s a waste of a rep. You want to make sure you have the young guys in place to compete.”

The most intriguing battle could be on the other side of the ball, where the Rams have one strong incumbent cornerback and at least three others who regularly will be in the mix.

Trumaine Johnson, who received the Rams’ “franchise” tag and an accompanying $13.95 million contract for 2016, is a clear-cut starter but there should be great camp competition on the other side.

E.J. Gaines, set to be a starter before a season-ending foot injury in camp last year, seems to be the favorite, although Gaines remained limited in summer workouts.

Free-agent signing Coty Sensabaugh likely will be the Rams’ strongest nickelback, but also could play on the outside. Third-year pro Lamarcus Joyner, a part-time starter last season, is another option, although Joyner also could help the Rams at one of their thinnest positions: safety.

The Rams need to replace free safety Rodney McLeod, who signed with Philadelphia in March, and at the moment their strongest option is either Christian Bryant or Cody Davis. That’s a bit scary because Bryant and Davis have a combined total of 52 NFL games but zero starts.

“It’s a good group,” Fisher said. “Christian Bryant is coming on, really taking advantage of this opportunity. Cody (Davis) understands the position; he’s got some game experience.

“We’ve got a couple young guys that we’ll have to look at in a game, when things are live and they are in a pressure situation.”

Further problems could arise depending on the status of starting strong safety T.J. McDonald, who was arrested in May on suspicion of driving under the influence of a substance other than alcohol.

As of this week, McDonald had not been charged with a crime, so he is likely to participate in camp, but should the situation change, add another potential training-camp battle to the mix.