Sean McDermott takes in Rams practice during West Coast training camp visit

Sean McDermott spent part of this year’s training camp on the West Coast, visiting the Los Angeles Rams on Friday afternoon to watch practice and get a firsthand look at how the team is organizing work inside a modern NFL practice week.

For an established head coach, visits like this are rarely about game planning or schematics in the traditional sense. Instead, they offer a window into everyday operational choices, including how coaches structure tempo and reps, how they build installation blocks through training camp, and how they manage the balance between fundamentals and live-action looks.

At Rams camp, McDermott spent time observing alongside Sean McVay, the team’s head coach. The two shared time during practice as McVay and his staff worked through their session, giving McDermott an opportunity to compare coaching philosophy and practice structure across different coaching trees and roster-building priorities.

The NFL offseason is also when staffs do a lot of their informal learning, from film study habits to practice-cadence decisions. While coaches and coordinators often travel during the offseason, the timing and setting of a training camp visit matter, because practices are where those principles show up most clearly, in drill design, situational reps, and how coaches adjust the plan session-to-session.

From Los Angeles’ perspective, the visit also fits a familiar theme: the Rams have spent recent seasons emphasizing preparation and details, and seeing a respected former head coach take in practice underscores how much importance league leaders place on what happens between the headlines.

What to watch next is less about any immediate competitive takeaway and more about the broader pattern. As teams continue to refine how they install systems and build identity in August, cross-team coaching exposure can influence how staffs think about practice accountability, player development, and the sequencing of work leading into the regular season.

If more reporting emerges on the scope of McDermott’s interactions beyond attending practice, it could clarify whether the visit was strictly observational or whether it included additional conversations on topics like training-camp workload, development strategies, or team-building practices.