The Los Angeles Rams have already stepped on a game field this preseason, but that doesn’t mean they’re done with high-stakes practices.
After the Los Angeles Chargers canceled a joint practice with the Rams due to injuries, the Rams just finalized details for a joint practice against the New Orleans Saints this week, which could set up one of the biggest information dumps of the preseason thus far.
Of course, many questions swirl around the team in the buildup to it. Here’s a look at what is lingering this week.
How Is Los Angeles Rams QB Matthew Stafford Feeling?
This is a question on the minds of not just Rams fans, but the national NFL zeitgeist. Matthew Stafford has been hit with a mysterious back injury that has lingered for the duration of training camp and the preseason.
Between spine specialists, epidurals, and camera shots of the quarterback patting his lower-mid back at the Cowboys-Rams preseason game, there are more questions than answers.
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Seeing Stafford on the field would be a sight for sore eyes, but at this point, any kind of positive update would be welcome with the season opener now under a month away.
Does Jimmy Garoppolo Look The Part?
If Stafford’s injury can’t improve by Sept. 7, it will fall to Jimmy Garoppolo to hold down the fort. Garoppolo didn’t play in the Cowboys-Rams preseason showdown, so this practice could be the last opportunity to see Garoppolo in action against another team before Week 1.
Garoppolo has played in a Super Bowl, but that was half a decade ago. Does he look like he can fill in for Stafford to keep the team afloat?
Can Blake Corum Keep The Momentum Going?
Los Angeles Rams running back Blake Corum put on a show against the Dallas Cowboys, logging nine carries and two touchdowns. It was exactly the kind of start to the preseason he needed, but the question is how he will handle success.
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Can he keep it going against the Saints, or was his double-dip a flash in the pan? A second look could speak volumes.
Is Kamren Curl Back To 100%?
Kamren Curl is back from an ankle injury-related absence, but the question is whether he’s feeling as good as he did before the injury.
Curl missed time, which opens the door to questions about rust. Is he back at full speed, or will he be seen limping or wincing between plays?
As an expected starting safety for the Rams, getting back to full speed with no caveats will be an important development for the team.
Will Emmanuel Forbes Jr. Be Healthy Enough To Face Competition?
Per an August 11 Rams Wire report, Emmanuel Forbes Jr. wasn’t named specifically by Sean McVay on Monday when the head coach told the media that “everyone was back,” raising a need for confirmation if Emmanuel Forbes Jr. is indeed healthy enough to practice.
Beyond that, there is a question of whether his hamstring injury is good enough for him to go full speed without any visible pain. Hamstring injuries can rapidly evolve into bigger problems overnight, so seeing Forbes on the field and playing at full speed would go a long way.