3 rookies the Rams may regret deciding to bench throughout the preseason

To be or not to be, that is the question.

Or in the case of the LA Rams when facing the decision to play or bench rookies in any of their three preseason games. With two down, and just one to go, it seems that the risks and rewards of not playing rookies in preseason games have already been assessed, analyzed, and decided upon. And the team has chosen not to play their top three rookies in the preseason.

For seasoned veterans, there is little to dispute. The older a player becomes, the more at risk they become in terms of getting injured, and the slower the healing and recovery process takes. So the ounce of prevention worth a pound of cure is correct. The risk of injury is too great. Besides, veterans know exactly what to expect, where they need to be both physically and mentally to be absolutely ready for a new NFL season.

But rookies have no such prior-year experience to guide their preparation. As such, can they really be mentally and physically prepared for the upcoming NFL season?

Rookie RB Blake Corum

To be fair, I'm not convinced that even the LA Rams know what rookie RB Blake Corum's workload will be in 2024. He will not usurp RB Kyren Williams as the 'feature' running back. At least, not until some significant event occurs that triggers a promotion. In Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season, Williams ran 15 times for 52 yards. His teammate, RB Cam Akers, ran 22 times for 29 yards. Akers would never run for the Rams again.

While a similar event could trigger the Rams to tie the bell around Corum, don't expect Williams to rush 22 times and fail to put up 100 yards. Not that running back, and most certainly not behind this offensive line. But how large of a role does that leave Corum?

It all depends.

Blake Corum has gotten work in OTAs, mandatory mini-camp, training camp, and joint practices and scrimmages. While the coaches are confident that the track for starters and key rotational players simulates enough live-game experience for players, I am not so sure. Can Corum truly be ready for the speed of pass rushers breaking through? Can he stop them dead in their tracks? Can he be ready for a Matthew Stafford audible as the play clock winds down?

There so many things that happen in live football games that come instinctively to veterans. Unfortunately Blake Corum is not a veteran.

DT Braden Fiske

The LA Rams have been ecstatic over the performance of rookie defensive tackle Braden Fiske so far. But if the team is counting on joint practices and scrimmages to get the guy up to NFL gameday speed, those plans have a fatal flaw in them. You see, despite the intention of mitigating injuries, Fiske has been fighting through several minor injuries. Unfortunately, the timing of those mishaps has limited the number of snaps and reps he has gotten when facing players from other teams.

In one joint practice, the Rams held him out of competing due to a foot blister. On a separate occasion, Fiske was pulled early from joint practice and scrimmage due to getting a finger poked in his eye, much like the physical comedy of the Three Stooges. Minor injuries? Of course. But perhaps with major impacts. We won't know until the season starts and we have an opportunity to see how well Braden Fiske competes right out of the gate.

But mid season, it won't matter. The most critical time for a rookie is the first couple games on the schedule. And fans, just like the coaches, won't be certain of any impact until we get there.

OLB Jared Verse

There is a lot to love about rookie outside linebacker Jared Verse. He is a powerful edge rushers who already has veteran quarterbacks talking about him. He has a powerful and well-armed arsenal of pass rush moves that allows him to play the masterful strategy of setting up offensive linemen with a variety of moves. But he has the type of Aaron Donald-like bull rush that can literally push an offensive tackle back and into the quarterback.

So it makes sense to bench him to keep him fresh and ready, right?

Perhaps.

An engine like that of Jared Verse is built for the short-term. Can he sustain that power and energy through the course of a full NFL game, for a 17-game season?

Again, perhaps.

I believe that there is far difference from a joint scrimmage versus the time managed urgency of a live game. And the closest simulation to that level of no-stopping action on a football field is a preseason game. I'm not suggesting that Verse will be gulping lungfuls of oxygen after his first offensive series. But I do raise the concern that he has not competed at the NFL level yet. As such, his knowledge of how to pace himself to last through a game, and a season, has no data points yet.

The Rams do not want Jared Verse to suffer fatigue. Fatigue is the harbinger of soft-tissue injuries in the NFL. And the only way to prevent fatigue is to increase the workload for a player gradually, to ensure that they are ready for the physical demands of an NFL season. Veterans know and understand this, which is why they have a strict workout regimen in the offseason.

Jared Verse hasn't the experience to understand what pace works for him. Without a simulation like preseason games provides young players, this could be an oversight when the season starts.

By the BYE week, the relevance of rookies competing in preseason games is a moot point. They will all have sufficient experience under their belts to know and understand how the NFL season works. But will the lack of preseason exposure come back to bite the team and the rookies who did not compete?

Let's hope the answer is a resounding no.

Thanks for reading.