What I’m Watching Closest at Rams Training Camp (And Why You Should Too)

The Los Angeles Rams have completed the first two practices of training camp. There is a lot of excitement around this team as they manage Super Bowl expectations. With a lot of excitement, there is also plenty to watch such as new stars and rookie take the field as well as position battles to monitor. Here is what I’m watching closest at Rams training camp.

Ty Simpson’s Continued Growth

A lot of focus has been on the backup quarterback competition. However, from the Rams’ perspective, I’m not sure they see it that way. The priority is to continue bringing Simpson along at his own pace.

“He's doing a great job. I think the best thing is I think some of the leadership from our peers with Matthew pouring into that room with Ty, with Stetson, with Matthew, that's a big deal,” said head coach Sean McVay. “I think Ty's in a great situation to be around some great people to learn from.”

Offensive coordinator Nate Scheelhaase was also encouraged by how Simpson has looked in the first two days of practice. Early in training camp, the Rams are prioritizing their pre-snap operation with both quarterbacks. Once Simpson gets that down and is comfortable, the Rams will continue adding to his plate. Simpson’s development isn’t something that the Rams are going to rush. As long as he continues to build on each day, that’s a positive.

The Cornerback Depth

This offseason, the Rams got much better at the top of the depth chart at cornerback. They traded for Trent McDuffie and added Jaylen Watson. McDuffie has been as advertised to start training camp and has fit the defense well. As reported by the Rams Active Substack, “Trent has been lockdown since camp started. Just from watching best-on-best reps, you can tell he fits in this system like a glove.”

However, there are questions behind McDuffie and Watson. The Rams have Forbes, but he’s proven to be inconsistent. Finding that fourth guy behind the top three was always going to be crucial to the position’s depth. That player, so far, has been Cam Lampkin.

“If Lampkin is able to continue to stack on top of the first two days he’s excelled at, he very well could be in conversation not just to make the roster, but I think potentially a regular part of the rotation during the season,” wrote Pierce DeLuna of the 1st and Tuna Substack.

Lampkin is in his third season and has spent a lot of time on the Rams’ practice squad. It’s still early, but Lampkin has shown that he might have what it takes to add some depth on the outside at cornerback.

Myles Garrett’s Impact on the Defense

Myles Garrett is very hard to miss on the field. As McDuffie said this week, “When he's out there, you can just feel his aura…He's gigantic. He's a monster.”

The Rams traded for Garrett with the idea that he could elevate their pass rush and take the defense to the next level. What does that look like? In the first few days of training camp, Garrett has looked extremely fast off the edge and his explosiveness has stood out.

Garrett’s presence will benefit the secondary as the Rams look to marry the pass rush and coverage together. The secondary let down the defense at times last season, but there were also stretches when the pass rush didn't do its job, either. Garrett’s speed and ability to create quick pressures should help the upgraded secondary.

Blake Corum’s Explosiveness

Last season, Blake Corum and Kyren Williams combined for over 2,000 rushing yards. Following a difficult rookie season, Corum emerged last year and was the catalyst to the Rams’ run game. He added explosiveness and creativity that the Rams' run game lacked previously.

“The way that he approaches it, I'd be surprised if he doesn't do anything other than get better and impact the team in a positive way,” said head coach Sean McVay. “I did see a couple of those videos and they look cool as sh*t…I want to see him make people miss like that in the hole like he’s done. He's a stud and he's going to be a big factor in what we're going to do this year.”

Blake Corum putting in serious offseason work with just 29 days until training camp 😤 pic.twitter.com/FaRQE5WzrP
— FTN (@FTNFantasy) June 30, 2026

Corum isn’t going to take over the Rams’ backfield in year two, but if he can show improvement in pass protection during training camp, he could earn more snaps. That would allow the Rams to have more of a 50-50 workload in the run game. We learned last season that the more Corum is involved, the better. Williams still has a valuable role, but it’s going to be interesting to see how Corum builds on last season.

Special Teams Changes

The Rams lost several games last season because of special teams. It’s hard to get a feel for how the special teams unit is doing based on what happens in training camp. With that said, it’s important for this unit to get moving in the right direction. They didn’t make any changes at punter or kicker this offseason. However, they did bring in Joe Cardona and Grant Stuard to be special teams contributors.

“They are two of my favorite players that I've coached in my career, both as an assistant and as a coordinator,” said special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone. “They’re both extremely hard workers. Both are really smart, not just players, but they're smart people.”

It also looks like the Rams are having a competition of sorts at punt returner. Kyren Williams has been returning punts along with Xavier Smith. Smith is more dynamic, but Williams brings a level of reliability that the Rams need at that spot. In the NFC Championship game, Smith had a muffed punt that changed the game. How the Rams approach special teams is going to be interesting to watch this summer.

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