5 mesmerizing red-hot position battles for the Rams in 2024

The LA Rams are pivoting to the upcoming 2024 NFL season, and the first few days of OTAs when players gather and coaches finally get the first glimpses of the team as a whole, appear to be pleasant for HC Sean McVay. This is not a tired or stressed McVay from 2022. If you notice his demeanor, Coach McVay has a calm and collected look about him. (see Slide 2 for Coach McVay's OTAs recap)

Does no stress mean no questions? Of course not. But this is a good look for the second-youngest head coach in the NFL. He is calmer. He is a better presence of in-the-moment, rather than a guy who is partially present, but partially scheming ways to solve the problems that seem to inevitably surface on the football field.

Yes, this is OTAs. No, this is not live football yet. Some may be skeptical about reports coming out of camp this time of year, citing the fact that they do not always translate into superstar production on the football field. That may be correct, but it's the closest thing to live football that we all have so far.

Sure, there are the 'what about...?' isms that nay-sayers will cite to make their points about not getting too riled up about rookies or even veterans this time of year. But what about the players who do show up early and go on to have respectable if not jaw-dropping types of seasons? For every Tutu Atwell who looked good in practice but who did not show up in the box stats, there is a Puka Nacua who does show up that nobody saw coming. Well, some of us bore witness to the magic of Nacua before the season started.

Isn't that all part of the fun this time of year? The mystery of which players will turn out to be hugely productive, and which players will not. After all, mysteries, puzzles, and whodunnits are proven to be wildly entertaining for a large segment of the population. Why should the NFL and websites not leverage that category of sharing clues to you, the reader, to give you hints as to who may be the next Rams rookie record-setter?