5 winners, 4 losers in Rams victory over Cowboys in preseason opener

(2) - Winner: WR Jordan Whittington

While he did not catch every pass thrown his way, rookie wide receiver Jordan Whittington certainly showed up in a big way. He ended up catching six of nine passes thrown his way for 74 yards, leading all receivers and ball carriers in yards gained on the day.

But I was most impressed by the way he seemed to take the best that the Dallas Cowboys defensive backs could throw at him, and he simply got up, laughed it off like an adult dad who just got gang tackled by a dozen kindergarten kids, and went right back to work.

Jordan Whittington is one tough receiver.

He was physical in virtually every play. He broke tackles. He fought hard to gain yards. He was playing football the way football was meant to be played. He was clearly having fun in this one, doing what he loves to do. Best of all, he showcased why the team was so excited to select him in the 2024 NFL Draft. He adds a bit of swagger to the Rams receiver room. In a room of Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp, that is saying something.

(1) - Loser: RB Zach Evans

The Rams offense has a surplus of running backs, and the team appears to have settled in on both RBs Kyren Williams and rookie Blake Corum already. So the fact that second-year Zach Evans seemed to have no finesse in rushing 12 times for 28 yards was a bit of a letdown. His 2.3 yards per run average was nearly half that of veteran RB Boston Scott. Scott used his blockers to great effect. At times, it appeared that Evans simply put his head down and ran into their backs.

I love the idea of having a big framed running back in this offense. But I did not like what I witnessed from Zach Evans. Having the ability to run through tackles does not mean taking aim at any defender in his path and taking a bee-line straight for him. Evans seemed to have no elusiveness, not stutter step or plant-and-pivot moves. While he did have a run of six yards, and an impressive catch that went 24 yards, his only target in the game, it simply appeared as though Zach Evans left a lot of yardage on the football field because he failed to keep his head up and pick his running lane.

And this roster does not have enough room to keep him while he figures that out.