Grisak's Quick Hits: Rams Training Camp Notebook After the Second Practice Block

The Los Angeles Rams have separated training camp at Loyola Marymount University into three four-day blocks. On Monday, the Rams completed their second of those blocks, which included two padded practices.

Following the second block of practices, there is a lot more to discuss. There remains speculation about Aaron Donald returning while quarterback Ty Simpson continues to take the next step in his development. Let’s get into the second edition of our training camp notebook.

Ty Simpson Continuing to Progress

As the Rams put on pads, all eyes were on first-round pick Ty Simpson. While the first block was much more about the pre-snap operation and fundamentals, the Rams let Simpson push the ball downfield more in block two.

This isn’t to say that everything was perfect with Simpson, and his two near-interceptions to Emmanuel Forbes certainly made their rounds on Twitter. Still, the Rams seem pleased with the work that Simpson put in and members of the media in attendance called them his two best practices of training camp.

McVay noted this week that he was pleased with Simpson and credited him for capitalizing and maximizing his reps. Team reporter Stu Jackson also wrote after the first day in pads, “The first-round draft pick had arguably his best practice of training camp so far, showing off a quicker release and more comfort operating the offense.”

As Simpson continues to get more work, he’s going to become more confident in the offense. He had some of his better throws of training camp during the padded practices, finding CJ Daniels in the end zone, throwing over two defenders.

According to Pierce DeLuna of the 1st and Tuna Substack, the first-round-worthy arm traits are evident and he’s progressing through multiple reads.

It’s important to remember that Simpson is still developing. The rookie mistakes are going to happen. As long as he shows growth, that’s what’s most important at this stage.

Stetson Bennett Making His Case for QB2

Heading into training camp, there may have been some that counted out Stetson Bennett, myself included. However, Bennett’s experience in the offense has shown. For as much as McVay has praised Simpson, he also makes sure to give credit to Bennett.

That doesn’t seem to just be coach-speak either. On days when Matthew Stafford is resting, Bennett gets the snaps with the first-team offense. When Stafford is practicing, Bennett is firmly the QB2 and taking reps with the backups.

As noted by Jackson, Bennett continues to show command of the offense. McVay commented on Bennett’s command as well. “He's a playmaker. He's going to be aggressive but not reckless,” said McVay. “He can make some things happen off-schedule. The way that we're able to get in and out of the huddle in terms of his overall command has been significantly improved upon and the way that he works at it.”

It’s certainly possible that Simpson eventually overtakes Bennett as the backup quarterback. However, Bennett is certainly making his case to remain the backup quarterback and he’s not making it easy. It would be one thing if Bennett was giving the Rams a reason to give more opportunities to Simpson, but that hasn’t been the case.

Iron Sharpens Iron

The phrase ‘iron sharpens iron’ has been said repeatedly throughout Rams training camp. It’s a testament to how good the Rams are on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. Davante Adams and Trent McDuffie have gone back and forth, which has been fun to watch. It’s how those two will get better as they will have already been tested by the time Week 1 comes around.

Iron sharpens iron. ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/RXoQEK7j0g
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) August 2, 2026

“I can honestly say I don't know if I'll get a better look than what I get from Trent out there,” said Adams. “I don't like putting big expectations, bulletin board material or any of that but at the end of the day, I can't remember the last time I felt about another corner the way I feel about him.”

That’s notable praise from Adams and goes to show how much those two have battled throughout training camp. The praise wasn’t one-sided either. During McDuffie’s media availability the next day, he complimented Adams.

“Going against guys like Davante, who is the best route runner in the league, who has the best releases… yeah, he's going to beat me a lot of the time,” said McDuffie. “The more we can keep ping-ponging back and forth against each other, the more we can keep raising our standard, it's going to be a great year for both of us so I enjoy it a lot.”

There have been times when McDuffie has had perfect coverage, yet Adams and Stafford have still connected. McDuffie and Adams have gone toe-to-toe with each other throughout training camp and it will be interesting to see how that carries over into the regular season.

Aaron Donald's Return Feels Increasingly Likely

There wasn’t a lot to report on the Aaron Donald situation during the first block other than he and McVay continued to have conversations. However, over the last few days, it feels like it’s almost a certainty that Donald is coming back.

That’s not to say that it’s a guarantee. With that said, as McVay told the media over the weekend, “It’s trending upwards.”

A decision isn’t expected as the Rams wrap up training camp this week. Donald likely won’t join the team at Loyola Marymount. McVay said that the team should know more once they return to Woodland Hills.

As of now, the plan seems to be to manage Donald like they did in 2017 and 2018 when he won Defensive Player of the Year. If that’s the case, the timeline for a return would be closer to the end of August. Donald ended his holdout in 2018 on August 31. He may return earlier than that, but the end of August feels like a realistic timeline.

There’s still a lot that the Rams would have to figure out after that. However, as things stand, a Donald return feels like a real possibility. It’s well known that McVay doesn’t have a strong poker face and he’s been showing his cards all week.

Watch till the end!

Sean McVay gives the latest update on Aaron Donald and submits his prediction on the return of the 3x NFL Defensive Player of the Year to our anonymous poll: "I think you can guess" 👀 pic.twitter.com/YiwthhkESm
— Sports Central LA (@SportsCentralLA) August 4, 2026

Improvement on Special Teams

It’s no secret that the Rams struggled on special teams last year. If they went a full game with a clean special teams operation, it was a pleasant surprise. With Bubba Ventrone in charge of the special teams unit this season, there seems to be some positive momentum on that side of the ball.

Along with the addition of Ventrone, the Rams signed Joe Cardona and Grant Stuard. Those two are going to add some stability to the Rams’ special teams this season.

I’ve been very impressed with special teams as a whole.

The sense of urgency feels so immediate. Timing on FG feels smooth and quick.

Shoutout to long snapper Joe Cardona. Will never understand how those guys can get the laces to the same spot over and over and over….
— 1st & Tuna 🏈 (@1standtuna) August 3, 2026

The Rams have also made some changes in how they practice special teams. ESPN’s Dan Graziano reported, “They now practice special teams toward the beginning of practice, when they believe players have fresher legs and more focus, as opposed to toward the end of practice.”

Cardona is expected to add some stability to the pre-snap operation and overall protection while Stuard should help their coverage units. The Rams also continue to test Kyren Williams as a punt returner. It’s clear that in a Super Bowl season, they aren’t going to let special teams be their downfall.

Other Notes

Injury Updates

The Rams have stayed relatively healthy throughout training camp, but they have had some injuries pop up. Justin Dedich and Davis Allen are the two notable ones. Dedich was placed on the NFI list with a hand injury. Meanwhile, Davis Allen is expected to miss some time with a quad injury. The Rams are also managing Myles Garrett with some lower-body soreness. He missed the last three days of the second block.

CJ Daniels Hasn’t Slowed Down

Daniels continues to impress through training camp. While he was simply a training camp darling during the first week, he has carried that into the padded sessions. Daniels making plays is now to be expected. As DeLuna wrote in the 1st and Tuna Substack, “The hands are very real. His size has created mismatches versus corners, and he looks natural finding open spaces to give his quarterback a throwing window.”

Terrance Ferguson Catching Attention

The first block of training camp was quiet for Ferguson. However, earlier this week, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reported that Ferguson has had a fantastic offseason. Jackson wrote on Monday that Ferguson dropped a pass that should’ve been caught and then came right back to catch a pass on the next play. Additionally, DeLuna noted that Ferguson has shown good speed and separation from defenders. There's room for improvement, but everything so far has been encouraging.

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