Rams’ preseason approach: sitting out is the plan, even when the starters are the story

Los Angeles Rams fans looking for a conventional preseason glimpse may find themselves frustrated by what they are not seeing. In coverage of the team’s preseason usage, Yahoo Sports reported that 42 Rams players are sitting out, reflecting a Sean McVay coaching philosophy that treats preseason playing time less like a showcase and more like a managed inventory process. The point, in that framework, is to avoid meaningful injury risk for the core while still learning enough about the roster group that will not be fully decided until final cuts.

McVay’s system, as described in the report, emphasizes an “agenda” that splits the field into two audiences. For the bulk of the roster construction, the preseason’s job is not to maximize reps for the eventual 53-man group. Instead, it is to rest the players expected to be starters or key contributors and to give meaningful snaps to those fighting for spots, roles, or practice-squad positioning. The underlying message is that the regular season is where evaluation becomes less abstract, but preseason can still be used effectively if the team’s priorities are clear.

The report also highlights that the Rams’ approach is not entirely uniform. It notes exceptions to the idea of blanket rest, specifically pointing to the quarterback reps being granted to Stetson Bennett and Ty Simpson. That matters because quarterback work in the preseason can influence how quickly coaches feel comfortable with backup execution, timing, and play-call rhythm. Even if these reps do not carry the same competitive weight as regular-season snaps, they can still inform decisions about who is ready to serve as a reliable option if the starter’s availability changes.

Why would a team deliberately keep most established players out of game action? The practical answer is risk management paired with focus. Preseason football is a fast-moving, often chaotic environment, and teams that play for roster precision prefer controlled evaluation. Resting most of the players who project to make the final roster helps preserve health for the part of training camp that follows preseason games, while also preventing the preseason from skewing the team’s internal picture with performances that will not be replicated on opening-day protections and rotations.

The Rams’ method also shapes how media and fans interpret what is happening on the field. A typical preseason storyline asks who is winning jobs. In McVay’s approach, the more revealing question may be who is being avoided, meaning which players are already considered likely parts of the plan. When a team sits many players, it can report that the “final 53-man roster” core has already been established enough internally that preseason reps become redundant.

Still, there are limits to what can be concluded from one usage pattern. Sitting out is common around the league for starters, and the presence of limited exceptions, such as quarterback reps for Bennett and Simpson, does not automatically confirm an expanded role or an imminent depth-chart change. It does, however, provide a roadmap for what to watch next: whether the Rams can consistently identify late-camp contributors in game situations and whether the backup quarterback group maintains timing and decision-making under live conditions.

For the Rams, the preseason serves as one of the last structured windows to separate second- and third-team contributors from the fringe. If the team’s evaluation plan holds, the most important results will not be highlight stats, but the kind of steadiness that can survive the cut-down process. As the schedule moves toward final roster decisions, the biggest test will be whether the players who were meant to play are the ones who justify expanded opportunities once the Rams begin trimming down.