7 LA Rams who desperately need a strong effort against Raiders

The LA Rams are indeed a difficult team to gauge this year. The uncertainty of knowing this team's next move began mid-season in 2022 when the team started to purge the roster of veterans who were not playing up to their contracts. Now with the team still fighting a battle on the financial front, there continues to be a risk of some unforeseen cuts to players who are popular with the coaches, the fans, and their teammates.

So I don't think that it's exceptionally overstated to say that there are a number of LA Rams players who truly need a great preseason. As much as the LA Rams roster is laid back and takes what comes on the surface, this team continues to be driven by a smoldering tempest of competitive energy in the form of head coach Sean McVay. So any veteran returning to compete for playing time, and even a roster spot, has to know that it's do-or-die time to make a positive impression.

Rams rookies need to show strong improvement

And yet, they are not only limited to veterans. The LA Rams added a huge number of rookies to the Rams roster. While we know that rookies can take as long as two years to get up to speed, the Rams are not interested in waiting around that long. In fact, the Rams may be starting more rookies than ever since HC Sean McVay was hired in 2017.

Even the incredible influx of rookies does not give the LA Rams a 'pass' for the season. In reality, it may place more pressure on younger players than ever because the team simply does not have a large enough number of veterans to smooth out the team's performance.

So here we are, the LA Rams preparing for the second of three preseason games. Which players on the Rams roster needs a strong performance in the final two preseason games? We were able to think of seven who need to show up and step up.