Rams are only a week way from first preseason showcase of rookies and roster drama

Any Los Angeles Rams-Kansas City Chiefs matchup invokes visions of a high-powered shootout. Of course, when the two Goliaths meet a week from now, it will be to kick off the preseason. It may not be a scoring spree at all. Fans from both teams will see for themselves.

As this is the first preseason game, the Chiefs may play starters and key rotational players to gear up for the regular season. But Rams head coach Sean McVay doesn't subscribe to that practice. Instead, he sits them. That may limit what fans may see. It's the preseason. No head coach runs more than a vanilla script anyway.

In many ways, committing the preseason games to rookies and players on the bubble is a rare treat for viewers. Players who likely won't make the roster get to compete for a job on the practice squad or with other teams who like what they see. Rookies who may sit in the regular season give sneak previews of their potential in years to come.

But best of all, the preseason reveals finer details of the full 90-man depth chart.

Rams youngsters will be on full display vs Chiefs

While game planning will be absent, the backend of the Rams' bench will take center stage. Members of the past two draft classes should be heavily featured. Will they be up to the challenge?

Some narratives are pre-written. Rookie quarterback Ty Simpson is unlikely to pry the backup role from Stetson Bennett; you'll read about every incompletion and interception he throws as though his career was over. Likewise, it will be tempting to frame any solid play from a fringe player as if he can rest easy.

But seasoned fans know better.

Players who compete in preseason games (except for special-teams specialists) are fighting for their careers. Being benched in subsequent preseason games can indicate that players have satisfied coaches and made the team.

The Chiefs are attempting to bounce back from a disappointing 2025 season. Trading cornerback Trent McDuffie to the Rams helped them fast-track that recovery via draft picks, including three this year. As KC fields hungry youngsters who could earn significant playing time, like first-round cornerback Mansoor Delane, Los Angeles must counter with preseason players far less likely to move the needle in 2026.

Still, there will be playmakers worth watching. Simpson is destined to start and will likely be throwing to fellow rookies Max Klare and the sensational CJ Daniels.

When the Chiefs have the ball, young Rams defenders like nose tackle Tim Keenan, linebacker Shaun Dolac, and safety Jaylen McCollough will be on display.

There may even be a player or two whose performance wows the team so much that they beat the odds to earn a roster spot.

In many ways, Rams preseason games are the purest form of competition. They are not dress rehearsals, but rather exhibits of how players react under pressure. Jobs are on the line. Spectators who recognize that can truly appreciate the significance.

In the grand scheme of the NFL, the preseason means little to nothing. But at the personal level, from a player's vantage point, it can mean the making or breaking of careers.

LA's preseason showdown with the Chiefs will be the first test of the Rams' 90-man depth chart.

As always, thanks for reading.

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