Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay has seemingly set a precedent in recent years by having the majority of his starters sit out the preseason and he has no plans to switch up his approach any time soon.
McVay determined that the risks involved with having players like Jared Goff, Todd Gurley, and Aaron Donald play in the preseason far outweigh any advantage they may gain. Of course, there are still a few instances on this year’s depth chart where even McVay must give an exception.
Los Angeles experienced some turnover at key positions on both sides of the ball this offseason and will be relying heavily on a few unproven players to serve as viable replacements moving forward.
McVay revealed which of the starters will be playing in Saturday’s preseason opener against the Oakland Raiders, via the team’s official website:
“The defensive players you mentioned (LB Micah Kiser and DT Sebastian Joseph-Day), we expect those guys to play and then we’re going to talk about (OL) Joseph (Noteboom) and (C) Brian (Allen).”
Although McVay has been somewhat of a pioneer in sitting his starters during the preseason, his decision to play the aforementioned names certainly makes sense. Each of them will be tasked with filling a notable void on each side of the ball and any shortcomings will undoubtedly be magnified by their presence.
The biggest changes to the offense going into the 2019 NFL season were Joseph Noteboom and Brian Allen taking the place of Rodger Saffold and John Sullivan on the line. Both players saw little action as rookies last year, however, they will be expected to maintain the high level of protection the Rams’ have established for Goff amidst their offensive resurgence in recent years.
Despite their lack of experience, Los Angeles is confident in the job that Aaron Kromer has done with them since their arrival. As a result, it is indicated that they will likely only see a few series on offense against the Raiders in the preseason opener.
Meanwhile, Sebastian Joseph-Day was able to establish himself as the successor to Ndamukong Suh in training camp. He is poised to see his fair share of favorable matchups playing alongside Donald if he can continue to show some promise in the upcoming exhibition games.
Micah Kiser is perhaps the biggest question mark in the Rams’ linebacker corps as he looks to establish himself as a bonafide starter this preseason. Kiser’s potential emergence inside with Cory Littleton would have a major impact on whether or not Wade Phillips is forced to move Clay Matthews around on defense.
