Jul 23, 2025; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams receiver Davante Adams (17) during training camp at Loyola Marymount University. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Los Angeles Rams HC Sean McVay on Matthew Stafford

The Rams will make the one-hour bus ride up the 101 Freeway on Tuesday for one of the NFL’s first joint practices. Most of the Rams’ starters, aside from quarterback Matthew Stafford, are expected to see action against counterparts from the Dallas Cowboys when the teams practice at the River Ridge Fields in Oxnard, Calif.

Before the teams practice on Tuesday and meet again in the preseason opener Saturday at SoFi Stadium (4 p.m. PT, KABC/ESPN LA 710 AM), here are four observations from Rams training camp.

1) Nose tackle Poona Ford could unlock even more production from Rams’ young defensive front.

McVay on the 5-11, 310-pound nose tackle, who signed a three-year, $27.6 million contract in March):

“The first thing is he is a complete player. He's obviously excellent on the early downs, but the twitch, the ability to be able to work edges, use his leverage to his advantage. He's a guy that we're very familiar with from just going against him when he was in Seattle and the earlier parts of his career.

Nov 10, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers defensive tackle Poona Ford (95) sacks Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis (8) during the second quarter at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images | Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

“Went to Buffalo for that year and then, last year, you watch the tape and it's hard to find a play that he's not productive on. I thought he was so consistent. We talk about how important that is, to be consistent, snap-in and snap-out. He’s been that so far and it certainly isn't limited to the early downs. We're really fortunate that we were able to get him and I'm glad he's with us.”

2) Stafford might not see any snaps in preseason games, but could get joint-practice reps.

McVay said Stafford (back soreness) won’t participate in the team’s jog-through Monday or the Tuesday joint practice with the Cowboys in Oxnard, Calif. However, the coach said Stafford is making progress toward his return. While the quarterback likely won’t play in any of the three preseason games, the Rams could have a prime opportunity to get Stafford some important reps in their next joint practice, Aug. 13, against the Chargers in El Segundo, Calif. Joint practices usually prohibit defenders from contacting the opponent quarterback while allowing for realistic game simulations.

Jun 3, 2025; Woodland Hills, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) during organized team activities at Rams Practice Facility. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

3) While coaches like Andy Reid don’t believe in joint practices, McVay sees them as highly valuable.

McVay on getting starters preseason reps they won’t see in games:

“Really for a lot of the guys that don't play in the preseason, that's super important. Those practices in essence supplement the preseason games for us. We heavily lean toward getting more reps for our starters, and so that's been something that we feel has served us well, but in a controlled setting.

“So, that's where it's really beneficial for us, to be able to get our starters what would be close to the equivalent of a game. You try to get about 50 minutes, 50 shots of work. You get a bunch of different situations. You're getting normal down and distance, you're getting some third down, get-back-on-track work. You're getting some red area, some high fringe; you're getting a two-minute drive.

A third scuffle escalates into a brawl during a joint preseason camp practice between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Los Angeles Rams at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati on Thursday, Aug. 25, 2022. Practice was ended early after a third scuffle turned into a broader fight between players on both teams. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

"And so, that's beneficial to be able to get what inevitably does come up in the majority of the games. It's going to be a good thing. It's in a controlled setting. So, we feel good about that and they've been a group that we've worked with before, that's gone really well.”

4) Braden Fiske eclipsing his 8½ sacks as a rookie is good bet.

McVay, on his defensive end, recovered from a knee injury sustained during the divisional-round loss at Philadelphia in the 2024 playoffs:

“He’s been awesome. With some of the things he’s worked through in the offseason, he's so mentally and physically tough. He's been able to continuously increase his workload.

Sep 22, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Braden Fiske (55), defensive tackle Kobie Turner (91) and linebacker Byron Young (0) celebrate after stopping San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) in the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

“Braden Fiske is a total stud. He’s got higher standards for himself than anything else, and I sure have high standards for him. But I love what he’s all about. He's a grown man for a second-year player. He plays the game that way. He's tough, he’s smart, he’s competitive, he’s everything that we’re looking for in a Ram.”

News from Rams training camp is available 24/7 with OnSI. Follow @RamsInsideronSI and @BrockVierra on X (Twitter) for the most updated information. And, don’t forget to share your observations on the Rams by visiting our Facebook page (here).

This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/rams as 4 Observations From Rams Camp Entering Joint Practice With Cowboys.