3 fringe roster candidates grabbing spotlight in Week 2 of Rams Camp

While the reports from the 2024 LA Rams Training Camp has been a never-ending stream about rookies and veterans who many expected to hear good things about, this article is going to take a bit of a detour. After all, hearing positive stories about players who are expected to start for the team actually cementing their lock on starting roles is encouraging, hopeful, and optimistic.

But it does not add much in the way of new information.

So let's veer off from the usual and customary reports about the uncanny chemistry of former Florida State rookies Jared Verse and Braden Fiske, and reflect on the progress shown in camp by players whose future with the team is a bit less certain.

In terms of starters, there is a consensus among fans and analysts on about 90 percent of the staring roles. And if you expand the perspective to focus on the initial 53-man roster, barring assignments to Injured Reserve, you can get a general consensus on approximately 70 percent of the roster. But when it comes to the remaining 30 percent, views vary wildly. Of course, that could be due to the fact that the team's coaching staff remains uncertain of which players to pencil in at the bottom of the roster.

For those players, the 2024 LA Rams Training Camp takes on far more urgency and importance. Even as players are encouraged to make plays and let the coaches help them correct their mistakes, there is that rule of competition that keeps players from exposing themselves to too many mistakes in front of coaches.

The reality of any training camp is that those young undrafted players or veterans returning from last year's practice squad get limited exposures to coaches. Whether that is from limited reps or simply the reality of numbers, coaches will only recall a finite number of plays made by those players. As a result, positive plays can make a huge difference at this stage of training camp.

So who are the three fringe roster candidates grabbing the spotlight in Week 2 of the 2024 LA Rams Training Camp? Let's find out.

TE Hunter Long

For Rams fans, Hunter Long will forever be immortalized as the guy that the team received in trading All-Pro CB Jalen Ramsey to the Miami Dolphins. The team also received a Round 3 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, a pick that was used to select OLB Byron Young. But it is Long, and not Young, who is most directly related to that trade.

On paper, it's easy to see why Hunter Long was sought as part of the compensation in that exchange. Standing 6-foot-5 and weighing 243 pounds, Long was viewed as a natural successor for the soon-to-be-expired-contract veteran Brycen Hopkins. He was a proven NFL blocking tight end, and the team felt that given patience, the right coaching, and opportunities, that he would become dangerous as a downfield receiver as well.

It's no secret that the Rams' top two tight ends so far have been second-year Davis Allen and newly signed veteran Colby Parkinson. But Hunter Long is proving that he is unwilling to fade away just yet. Rams beat reporter Stu Jackson shared camp highlights from July 29 that illustrated that Hunter Long is competing hard for a Rams roster spot.

"One of Garoppolos best passes of the day came in redzone drills, firing a touchdown pass to tight end Hunter Long. Longs catch in the back of the endzone was equally impressive, tapping both feet down for the score"

Stu Jackson

Plays will be made by all players, and it's impossible to track every play from every player. But Long needed to show up in this training camp, if for no other reason than the fact that he is at risk of getting squeezed out by the surge of both Allen and Parkinson.

Hunter Long is not ready to pack it in just yet. We'll know more about the team's plans at the tight end position when preseason games arrive. But for now, the competition appears to be a three player race.

WR Tyler Johnson

It's tough to believe that the Rams have a 6-foot-1 208-pound receiver returning from their 2023 practice squad named Tyler Johnson and has not gotten much press yet. But that may be changing as we speak, as he has been putting up some impressive catches so far in training camp off the hands of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.

With Demarcus Robinson's success in 2023 (He is 6-foot-1, 202 pounds) and the team's willingness to draft Jordan Whittington (He too is 6-foot-1, 202 pounds), it falls to reason that a veteran of similar size should have a shot at reps, and perhaps have a shot at a significant role in 2024.

And out of HC Sean McVay himself, Tyler Johnson's stock is rising so far:

Coach McVay refers to Johnson's basketball background as affording him an advantage at running down the sidelines and having 'aggressive hands.' That bodes very well for the young man who is trying to make the second-tier on the team. The three primary targets in the wide receiver room are clearly Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua, and Demarcus Robinson. But there may be room among the second tier with Tutu Atwell sitting as the only clear receiver earmarked to make the roster.

Tyler Johnson's stock appears to be rising. And if he hopes to make the team's 53-man roster, it's not a moment too soon.

WR Xavier Smith

Getting positive reports out of training camp that cite another stellar day for speedy WR Xavier Smith is becoming an eveyday event. While not much was said about the team's 'other' speedster, Smith is doing everything humanly possible to ensure that he is getting mentioned alongside teammate, WR Tutu Atwell.

And with Atwell on the last year of his rookie contract, Smith's rising stock may have long-term implications for both Smith and Atwell, as well as for this team. After all, the Rams have long been fascinated with speed, from their trade with the New England Patriots for WR Brandin Cooks, to drafting WR Tutu Atwell, to signing FA WR DeSean Jackson, to signing undrafted WR Xavier Smith.

Unfortunately, with the exception of some episocic success, the Rams have only found sustained success with WR Brandin Cooks. But Cooks was clobbered, and the team feared that a streak of concussions might impact his on-field production over time. Since trading him to the Houston Texans, the team has been looking for a small and speedy receiver who might fill his shoes.

Smith has appeared in the highlights of the Rams training camp on July 27, July 29, and July 30. While three straight days of positive highlights are impressive, this is amplified due to the fact that the team is wearing pads, and that means contact is admissible. Despite that fact, Smith continues to catch everything thrown in his direction.

Three players who were not seen as guaranteed to make the Rams roster appear to be making a very strong case to do so. While there is plenty of training camp to go, I enjoy the pleasant surprises that develop along the way.

Puka Nacua was a huge surprise from the 2023 Rams training camp which went on to set NFL rookie receiving records last season. So it pays to notice players who impress in training camp. As always, thanks for reading.