First Rams scrimmage quietly exposed some early truths about this roster

The Los Angeles Rams have a lot to digest after their first scrimmage. Rams fans are right there with them, trying to piece together the jigsaw pieces of single plays and overall individual imagery into a narrative that best describes the contest. And then, find some way to project one data point into confirmation or rebuttal to fans' beliefs about the team this season.

Jimmy Garoppolo was crisp and decisive in the pocket. The Dallas Cowboys secondary had no answer for WR Davante Adams, and the remainder of the Rams' receivers had great performances too.

The Cowboys held their training camp in Oxnard, California. But it was the legitimate California team that appeared to be completely at home and comfortable.

Rams bury feud rumors and\ bury the Cowboys in (non-scored, but decisive) scrimmage win

The fuse to the risk of a feud between Garoppolo and Adams was never lit. Quite the opposite. The duo seemed to have the type of chemistry only found between good friends. Adams never failed to get open, and Garoppolo never failed to find him.

Rams Culture: 1
NFL Feuds: 0

The team was successful on offense and defense. It wasn't a matter of players getting into a rhythm, as the format entailed rather rapid rotations between the 1s and the 2s.

With so many minor injuries, it can be difficult to determine who did not participate in the scrimmage. The Rams entered the joint scrimmage with several players nursing injuries, including:

QB Matthew Stafford - back
LT Alaric Jackson - medical condition
CB Emmanuel Forbes - hamstring
TE Terrance Ferguson - groin

The two more alarming absences are rookie TE Terrance Ferguson and veteran CB Emmanuel Forbes. Neither player has extensive experience taking reps with the team, and this was a missed opportunity to change all that.

The Rams' starting offensive line came with few surprises. As expected, DJ Humphries appears to be the interim starting left tackle until Alaric Jackson returns to health and earns his job back. That keeps Warren McClendon Jr. as the team's swing tackle.

But when IOL Kevin Dotson left practice for the medical tent, the team promoted last year's LG Justin Dedich to take over as the starter. That means the Rams' depth chart looked like:

This may not align with the 1st unofficial Rams depth chart, but it does reaffirm that the document is a work-in-progress, and by no means a definitive hierarchy of this team's projected roster.

The team must assess and compile what they learned in their first scrimmage game, and take the team to its first preseason game of 2025 against these same Cowboys. There will be plenty to assess from that game, too.

No single play or contest dictates the future of an NFL player. But it does provide a pattern. And like a good murder-mystery, who doesn't love to solve a good plot?

As always, thanks for reading.

First Rams scrimmage quietly exposed some early truths about this roster

Rams bury feud rumors and\ bury the Cowboys in (non-scored, but decisive) scrimmage win

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