Les Snead explains the advantage of no preseason for Rams...

Les Snead explains the upside of canceled preseason for Rams

[theramswire.usatoday.com]

Cameron DaSilva

The NFL wisely decided to cancel the preseason this year amid the coronavirus pandemic, limiting players’ exposure to the virus thanks to less traveling and contact with other teams. It’s unfortunate for undrafted rookies and those fighting for final roster spots, many of whom won’t even get the chance to compete this summer due to teams being forced to trim their squads to only 80 players by Aug. 16.

Rams GM Les Snead doesn’t necessarily see the lack of exhibition games as a bad thing, though, especially when it comes to protecting their own players from being claimed off waivers. Last year alone, the Rams had five players claimed off waivers following final roster cuts in September, many of whom L.A. probably wanted to sneak onto the practice squad.

Snead hopes that with no preseason games and less game tape for other teams to evaluate, the Rams will be able to keep players they cut on the practice squad this year.

“For the L.A. Rams, we’d rather protect the players that we drafted, signed as undrafteds or developed than have the opportunity to scout players from other teams, given the either/or,” Snead told Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated. “Even if we looked at it in the future, and said, ‘Let’s do one, two or however many preseason games,’ and you had to open those up to video or not, we’d probably say ‘no,’ so we’d have a better chance of not exposing some of the players we’ve tried to develop to waiver wire.”

This is an offseason unlike any other, and certainly not one that teams have ever been through. They’re not used to seeing players practice for the first time in mid-August, nor have they ever been restricted to a few weeks of padded practices before playing their first game.

It puts rookies and newcomers at a disadvantage, while giving players who have experience in the Rams’ system an edge. The same goes for players on other teams, too, which could cause less activity on the waiver wire after final cuts are made.

“If I was betting, I’d bet you’d have less activity,” Snead said on a conference call Monday. “One thing would be, right, I think not having a preseason plays a part in it, but I also think in the environment of COVID, having players that know your system will probably play a role in it too,” he said. “As an example, you get into game weeks and later in the week, you do lose a chunk of a position group based on a positive test and contact tracing. Having more players that know your system may be more valuable than taking the telescopic view of bringing someone in who doesn’t know your system.”

The Rams don’t typically play their starters during the preseason anyway, but not having to expose their younger players – and still allowing them to compete in scrimmages – could allow Los Angeles to keep some of its preferred players on the practice squad this year.