5 reasons why Rams HC Sean McVay smiles as Week 2 of 2024 training camp ends

5 - What did Rams see in final training camp practice?

The coaching staff surely had to hope for a strong finish to Rams Training Camp, and I don't think anyone was disappointed. Young players will be episodic, in that they will bounce back and forth from good days to bad days and back again as they grow accustomed to their new roles, and responsibilities, and encounter new scenarios and situations. And that is what training camp is all about. This is the laboratory of experimentation, pushing the limits of the body, mind, and instinctive responses to what is happening on the football field. and

So what did happen on the football field?

The Rams offensive line continues to be hampered with injuries to three starting offensive linemen: LT Alaric Jackson, LG Jonah Jackson, and RT Rob Havenstein. That has meant a lot of work for swing tackle Joe Noteboom, who has been showing plenty of great work so far on the practice field. With both Noteboom and Alaric Jackson on expiring contracts, it's probably a safe bet that the front office will re-sign at least one of the two veterans for 2025.

There were plenty of takeaways, and have been throughout training camp. But one that needs to be discussed in the one by DE Desjuan Johnson. He correctly read a screen pass intended for RB Boston Scott, picked off the pass, and returned the football for a pick-six.

There was plenty of excitement from both sides of the football. But before we turn over to the next slide, I did want to mention one thing. Turnovers, sacks and broken up pass plays may be viewed by some fans and a double-edged sword. That is, it's great for the defense, but raises alarms on offense. But the same can be said about stellar offensive plays that mean great optimism for the offense, but trigger concerns about the defense.

Keep in mind that this is training camp, and players are themselves pushing the boundaries of safety and their own physical limitations. Quarterbacks will thread the needle more often in training camp, just to see where the threshold of safe plays might be. So to defensive players may break for the ball, risking giving up a huge play. Training camp is when players tax themselves to see what they can, and cannot, do in the confines of a regular season football game.