RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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INGLEWOOD, CA - AUGUST 22: Stetson Bennett IV #13 of the Los Angeles Rams runs the ball in for a touchdown in the second quarter of an NFL preseason game between the New Orleans Saints and the Los Angeles Rams on August 22, 2026, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Greg Fiore/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Los Angeles Rams put together their most dominant performance of the preseason Saturday, shutting out the New Orleans Saints 34-0 at SoFi Stadium. While preseason results rarely tell the entire story, the Rams provided plenty to discuss as they continued evaluating their roster with the regular season approaching. Los Angeles jumped out to a 20-0 halftime lead and never let up, with the offense finding the end zone consistently and the defense creating game-changing plays.
With roster decisions becoming increasingly important, here are four key takeaways from the Rams’ dominant preseason victory.
1st Down: QB2 remains undecided
Week 1 was Ty Simpson’s game. This time it was Stetson Bennett’s turn to give case that he should be Matthew Stafford’s backup. Both young quarterbacks have given Sean McVay and the offense plenty to think about as we move another week closer to the regular season.
The dilemma is simply this… Stetson Bennett can probably operate the offense a tad better right now but Ty Simpson is the more gifted quarterback.
2nd Down: Rams have depth at offensive line
Two weeks in a row the Rams offensive line has pitched a clean sheet. And this week, the ground game generated 150 rushing yards. That is without a single starter being in the lineup. AJ Arcuri, Bill Murray, Wyatt Bowles, Blake Hance, and Austin Blaske received playing time. Arcuri and Blaske will be two names to watch as cuts begin to happen. They have the best chance at making the roster as the 9th or 10 options if the Rams decide to play Justin Dedich on IR.
3rd Down: CJ Daniels stock grows
After drafting CJ Daniels in the 6th round, fans wondered if Daniels could immediately take the WR3 role in the Rams offense. In all likelihood, it is going to be a revolving door between Konata Mumpfield, Xavier Smith, and Jordan Whittington. But CJ Daniels performance in Week 2 of the preseason puts his name in the ring as having some amount of the snap share should the Rams use 11 personnel.
4th Down: Final defensive roster spots are tough call
The Rams defensive reserves pitched a shutout but pump the brakes on your excitement with the depth players. Les Snead and the front office said after the 2026 NFL Draft that this is going to be a very difficult roster to make because of the talent carrying over from 2025. In addition, the Rams added Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson, Grant Stuard, and Myles Garrett. That doesn’t include the rookie class of Ty Simpson, Max Klare, Keagen Trost, and CJ Daniels. AND… the likely return of Aaron Donald. The offensive side of the ball seems pretty set with roster spots. But there will be a couple of tough decisions as the Rams add their last few players to make up the 53 man roster. I think there are 49 spots locked down already; leaving there just 4 spots up for grabs. Keep an eye on guys like Ty Hamilton, Cam Lampkin, Alex Cook, Wesley Bailey, Tim Keenan III, Larrell Murchison, and Tanner Ingle.
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