HOUSTON – The Rams conducted their final joint practice of the 2024 preseason on Thursday, doing so with the Texans on their practice fields next to NRG Stadium. Quarterback Matthew Stafford's "full day" highlighted the session, as well as rookie offensive lineman Beaux Limmer continuing to get tested in a positive way.

Here are 10 things that stood out from the session:

1) Stafford's "full day": After participating in about half of team drills in Tuesday's practice back in Thousand Oaks, Stafford went through all of Thursday's joint practice.

"Full day for him," McVay said. "It was good."

"It was good," Stafford said of his day. "It was good working against these guys, (they) are really talented defense, really talented team. When you look across the board, offensively and defensively, these guys have a bunch of great players, young talent, mixed in with some good veterans. So it's good to get some work against them, little bit different than what we see from our defense, so it was good."

2) Limmer continues to be tested: The sixth-round pick out of Arkansas got reps with Stafford and the first-team offense on Thursday, specifically at center.

This does not mean Limmer will be the starting center over Steve Avila, let's make that abundantly clear. But it does suggest the Rams may have a role in mind for him. At the very least, they want to see if Avila at left guard and Limmer at center works as the most optimal interior combination compared to Zach Thomas at left guard and Steve Avila at center - as a "just in case" scenario for Jonah Jackson (shoulder); it should be noted Jackson will be worked back in next week and has been participating in individual drills.

Going against the Texans' experienced interior defensive line – Mario Edwards Jr. has played nine NFL seasons, Folorunso Fatukasi six – was valuable for Limmer's development.

"He's done a nice job," Stafford said of Limmer. "Good command. Obviously, he's played the position for a long time, understands it, professional snapper of the football. Again, he's a rookie, it's learning constantly, and these kind of practices are great for him, right? He goes against our defense, gets looks at our guys over and over again, and you got to come out here and block some of these guys and different looks and jet techniques and all that kind of stuff. So that's good for him."

3) Pass rush shows up again, but Stroud still makes plays: One thing that has been constant in these joint practices has been the Rams' pass rush, and that was the case on Thursday.

One of the most notable moments was when rookie outside linebacker Jared Verse beat Texans left tackle and eight-year NFL veteran Laremy Tunsil for a would-be sack (quarterbacks, as they always do in practice, were wearing red non-contact jerseys). Tunsil is widely regarded as one of the top blindside protectors in the NFL – Trench Warfare's Brandon Thorn, who analyzes offensive and defensive line play, ranked him as the No. 2 left tackle in the league entering the 2024 season and one of his three elite left tackles.

Outside linebacker Byron Young and nose tackle Kobie Turner also combined for a would-be sack of Stroud in a different period of team drills.

Similar to the joint practices with the Cowboys, there were times Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud was forced to throw the ball away because of pressure and coverage, and other times where he was able to escape or withstand it and complete passes out of structure (meaning, as the pocket broke down) with the ball placement and accuracy that made him the 2023 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.

4) CB4 spot up for grabs: After waiving defensive back Jerry Jacobs with an injury settlement, Thursday's joint practice and McVay's comments after indicated there's still competition for the fourth spot in Los Angeles' cornerback rotation.

"You look at Tre Tomlinson, you look at Shaun Jolly, guys that have been here," McVay said. "(Rookies) Josh Wallace and Charles Woods are guys that have really shown well, and so we've gotten a lot of reps. And we've got safeties that can play some of the nickel corner stuff when you look at Quentin Lake and Russ Yeast. So we're trying to find the best guys for our secondary and (it's) starting to come into clarity, but we'll continue to use these next few days."

McVay also said Jacobs "had a groin issue," which is what led to the Rams waiving Jacobs with an injury settlement earlier this week.

5) Nine and dime: Two of Stafford's best throws came during redzone drills, and both went for touchdowns to Cooper Kupp. The second one was especially impressive given the concentration required of Kupp after making the leaping grab near the left side of the endzone to ensure he got both feet down with little room to do so. Coverage was tight on the second one, too.

6) Texans' offensive talent offers valuable reps for Rams defensive players: Speaking of Tunsil, that matchup with Verse also illustrated the value of Thursday's joint practice for the Rams' young defensive linemen, as well as their defensive backs of all experience levels. Besides Tunsil, the Texans also have nine-year veteran Shaq Mason at right guard, who ranks as Thorn's No. 2 player at the position entering the 2024 season and one of Thorn's three elite players there.

As for the Rams' secondary, a pass-catching corps led by wide receivers Stefon Diggs, Nico Collins, Tank Dell and solid depth behind them, as well as tight end Dalton Schultz, afforded valuable experience too.

While the Rams' offense is more experienced, the Texans' defense likewise provided strong talent between cornerback Derek Stingley Jr., safety Jalen Pitre, and outside linebackers Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter, among others.

7) Kickoff return combo still to be determined: Whoever the Rams have back returning kicks in the new hybrid format remains to be seen, but the combination for that duo in the landing zone continued to be experimented with on Thursday.

8) Boston Scott doesn't participate: The Rams held the running back out of Thursday's practice due to a leg contusion, as well as Scott being due for a heavy workload in Saturday's preseason finale, according to McVay.

9) Make way for Bobby Brown III: One of the best pressures of the day came from the fourth-year defensive tackle on the interior in 11-on-11, which forced Stroud to throw the ball away.

10) Stafford and Stroud get to chop it up: The two quarterbacks spoke with one another after Thursday's joint practice, and repeated their mutual respect when speaking to the media.

"I'm a huge fan of watching him play," Stafford said. "Throws the ball with ease, plays with a really calm aggression, which I like."