We're just four days away from the beginning of training camp, with rookies reporting Wednesday and veterans reporting on Friday to U.C. Irvine. And to get you ready, we're taking your questions all week. From Monday through Friday, team insider Myles Simmons will answer one Q in this space for the question of the day. If you've got a question, send it over to Simmons on Twitter @MylesASimmons and you just might see it here on the site.*
Today's question comes from Jack Fenton.
That's a good question, Jack. I think the first thing to note is what we know: Tavon Austin and Robert Woods will enter camp as the top two starting receivers, and will therefore get snaps accordingly.
While Austin had offseason wrist surgery and was therefore unable to fully participate in OTAs and minicamp, at last check head coach Sean McVay said he expected Austin to be all clear by the start of camp.
As for Woods, he and quarterback Jared Goff looked like they had established some solid chemistry during the offseason program. Both Goff and the coaches praised Woods plenty in OTAs and minicamp, with the signal-caller sounding particularly excited to work with him in the regular season.
Now you probably noticed wideout Cooper Kupp was on the list of projected starters. We saw plenty of him during the offseason program, and since he's a rookie, I think it's safe to say that he'll get plenty of reps not only in practices, but also in the preseason games.
But here's where it starts to get trickier, since the Rams currently have 11 wide receivers on their roster. As recent draft picks, Pharoh Cooper and rookie Josh Reynolds figure to see a good amount of snaps. Despite the four-game suspension, Mike Thomas could still take plenty of reps as well.
Then you have third-year wideout Bradley Marquez, who has been a special teams standout over the last few years. Paul McRoberts was called up from the practice squad late last year. Aside from making plenty of appearances on running back Todd Gurley's social media channels, Nelson Spruce showed his consistent hands during the offseason program and could be a factor. And Brandon Shippen and Shakeir Ryan clearly impressed the staff enough during the spring to warrant another look during camp.
Without having seen a McVay training camp before, it's hard to say exactly the way they'll break up the reps. But with a new staff and an offense that everyone knows needs to take a significant step forward, I'd expect everyone who earns one to receive an opportunity to make his mark.
Thanks for your question, Jack. We'll be back tomorrow with another question of the day. To submit yours, send it over to @MylesASimmons on Twitter.*
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Check out the guys set to head down to training camp at the end of July. Photos by Jeff Lewis.
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