LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Rams will open 2024 training camp with veterans reporting Tuesday at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. Here's a closer look at a few storylines:
Biggest question: Do the Rams commit any further to quarterback Matthew Stafford ?
This will be one of the first questions head coach Sean McVay is asked when training camp resumes, as it was also an issue during the offseason program. In the spring, McVay acknowledged a report that Stafford wants more guaranteed money on his contract, but the head coach said repeatedly that he wants to keep those discussions in-house.
Stafford has three years remaining on his current contract but does not have a guaranteed salary in his final two seasons. Going into training camp, he ranks 12th in the league in average annual salary, tied with Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones . He will fall even lower if the likes of Jordan Love or Tua Tagovailoa sign contract extensions this offseason.
Training camp is a success if ... WR Cooper Kupp is healthy.
Even though the Rams found a star receiver in Puka Nacua last season, there's no doubt that Kupp remains an important part of the Los Angeles offense. Kupp injured his hamstring during training camp last year and then re-aggravated it right before the season. He missed the first four games of the season on injured reserve, but didn't look like himself for most of the season as he continued to play through the injury.
If Los Angeles can start Week 1 with a healthy Kupp alongside Nacua, the Rams will look like a different team against the Detroit Lions than the one that lost to them in the playoffs to end the season.
Most impactful offseason additions: OLB Jared Verse and DT Braden Fiske .
With the retirement of Aaron Donald, the Rams addressed their defensive front in the draft, taking Verse in the first round and his college teammate Fiske in the second. The Rams know they can't replace Donald with one player -- something McVay has said time and time again -- but they hope they can help replace his production with the Florida State duo. Donald led the Rams with 45 pressures in 2023 and had eight sacks.
"Those two players play urgently and violently, and you just knew that pairing them with Kobie [Turner], Byron [Young] [and] the rest of our defenders would be fun," Rams general manager Les Snead said.
The Rams had a young defense last season outside of Donald, and adding two top talents was critical to the unit taking a step forward in 2024.
Fiercest fantasy-relevant battle: Running back workload
There's no competition for RB1 in Los Angeles, but during training camp, Blake Corum will get his chance to show why he should receive a significant workload behind Kyren Williams .
Williams, who finished third in the NFL in rushing yards last season despite playing in just 12 games, averaged almost 22 touches per game. He missed most of the Rams' offseason program with what McVay called "a little foot issue" but is expected to be a full go during training camp.
Los Angeles drafted Corum in the third round in April and McVay said one of the things that stood out to him on film was the similarities between Corum and Williams.
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