Rams are on more familiar ground but still in transition

Staff Writer

July 25, 2017 4:30 PM PT

The Rams are in familiar territory.

With training camp set to open Saturday, team personnel have taken up residence at UC Irvine. Rookies are scheduled to arrive Wednesday, veterans by Friday.

Last year, save for another losing season, was all new for Rams players.

Their Orange County training camp was part of an odyssey that began with the team’s move from St. Louis. It included an extended stay in Oxnard and six weeks at Irvine before they landed at the team’s training facility in Thousand Oaks.

The Rams finished 4-12, their 10^th consecutive season below .500.

The franchise is going through another major transition — coach Sean McVay was hired to replace the fired Jeff Fisher — but the toll of the Rams’ peripatetic 2016 can no longer be used as an excuse by players, coaches and team executives.

This year’s stay at Irvine has been shortened to about three weeks.

It includes 15 practices that are open to the public, including one with the Chargers, who are training a few miles away in Costa Mesa. (The Rams also are scheduled to practice once with the Chargers at the StubHub Center.)

The Rams start the preseason against the Dallas Cowboys on Aug. 12 at the Coliseum. They also will play the Oakland Raiders, Chargers and Green Bay Packers before the Sept. 10 regular-season opener against the Indianapolis Colts.

Here are five things to watch during training camp:

New kid in town

At a boyish 31, McVay could be mistaken for a fraternity brother on Irvine’s campus.

McVay has been a part of eight NFL training camps, but this will be his first in charge of the entire roster.

Throughout offseason workouts and minicamps, players described McVay as knowledgeable, organized and detail-oriented. McVay also has excelled in small and large media settings.

But McVay openly acknowledged that there was no pressure during the offseason.

That begins to change Saturday.

He’s No. 1

Quarterback Jared Goff arrived at training camp last year as the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft — but not at the top of the depth chart.

He is now.

Journeyman Case Keenum, the 2016 starter for nine games, is now the backup in Minnesota. Third-year pro Sean Mannion is Goff’s backup.

With seven games of experience and an offseason working with McVay and his staff, Goff is far more confident than the player fans saw struggling at the line of scrimmage during training camp last year.

Goff worked this offseason on his throwing mechanics with trainers Tom House and Adam Dedeaux. He added about 10 pounds over his 6-foot-4 frame and is listed at 223 pounds. And, according to McVay, offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur, quarterbacks coach Greg Olson and teammates, he dedicated himself to mastering the offense.

The Rams last week signed quarterback Dan Orlovsky, adding a veteran presence to a young position group.

Hall of Fame running back Eric Dickerson, no stranger to stirring controversy — remember his tiff with Fisher? — said in a recent television interview that he would start Mannion.

Unless Goff suffers an injury, a complete meltdown or an off-the-field setback, that’s not happening.

Show me the money

Defensive tackle Aaron Donald wants a new contract. A big one.

To make his point, he did not show up for voluntary organized-team activities. He attended but did not fully participate in a mandatory minicamp last month.

Donald, a Pro Bowl selection in each of his first three NFL seasons, has two years left on a rookie deal that will pay him about $3.2 million this season and $6.9 million in 2017.

In May, general manager Les Snead said the team was at the “serious stage” of negotiating a new contract. Chief operating officer Kevin Demoff publicly acknowledged in June that Donald deserves to be paid among the NFL’s elite players.

With running back Todd Gurley coming off a miserable season and Goff still unproven, Donald is the Rams’ only proven star.

His contract situation, to this point, has not been contentious. The Rams cannot allow it to become so.

Veteran presence

The Rams signed free-agent left tackle Andrew Whitworth and receiver Robert Woods — for a combined $30 million in guaranteed money —- to bolster an offense that ranked last in the NFL the last two seasons.

Whitworth replaces Greg Robinson, the disappointing No. 2 overall pick in 2014 who was jettisoned to Detroit. Woods ostensibly replaces Kenny Britt, a 1,000-yard receiver last season who signed with the Cleveland Browns.

The Rams also added backup running back Lance Dunbar and center John Sullivan.

New defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, 70, hand-picked several players he coached with other teams, including cornerback Kayvon Webster and linebacker Connor Barwin.

Webster will compete to start opposite Trumaine Johnson, the franchise-tagged, five-year veteran who will earn nearly $17 million this season after he and the Rams could not come to terms on a long-term contract.

Barwin will play opposite Robert Quinn, a two-time Pro Bowl end making the transition to linebacker in Phillips’ hybrid 3-4 scheme.

Fresh faces

Rookie Cooper Kupp, a third-round draft pick from Eastern Washington, is listed along with Tavon Austin and Woods as a starting receiver on the depth chart entering training camp.

Kupp is one of several first-year players who could play significant roles.

Tight end Gerald Everett, a second-round pick from South Alabama, and safety John Johnson, a third-round pick from Boston College, also will compete for playing time.

Receiver Josh Reynolds, fullback Sam Rogers, linebacker Samson Ebukam and defensive linemen Ejuan Price and Tanzel Smart are other 2017 draft picks who could contribute.

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Rams in training

The Rams will practice 15 times at UC Irvine during training camp.

Gates open 90 minutes prior to the start of workouts. Some players will be available to sign autographs after practices.

The schedule:

Saturday -Aug. 2 at 3 p.m.

Aug. 4 at 3 p.m.

Aug. 6 at 3:30 p.m.

Aug. 7 at 3 p.m.

Aug. 9 at 4:30 p.m. (with Chargers)

Aug. 10 at 3 p.m.

Aug. 11 at 3:30 p.m.