Rams Camp Opens With an Offensive Line Question and a QB Depth Chart Worth Watching

Alaric Jackson is listed as questionable as camp gets going in Thousand Oaks, and Eddie Walls III is already on injured reserve. That's two offensive linemen unavailable at the start of camp, with Warren McClendon and Beaux Limmer next in line behind Jackson on the depth chart. Nothing catastrophic yet, but worth tracking as the pads come on.

The succession question is quieter but more durable. Stetson Bennett is the backup quarterback on the depth chart, with Ty Simpson — who only got his rookie contract signed last week — slotted behind him. Simpson is raw, Bennett is a known quantity with limited upside, and Matthew Stafford is 38. That's the room. It functions fine as long as Stafford stays healthy, which he has. It does not function well if he doesn't.

Sean McVay said Friday there's no update on Aaron Donald, though he called the situation "trending upwards." Donald coming back would change the defensive picture considerably, but McVay made clear a decision isn't coming until after the team returns from its early camp stretch. File that one under watch-and-wait.

The bigger unresolved items — Puka Nacua's contract, the road-game fragility that cost them in January — don't get solved in August. But the offensive line health and the backup QB shelf are things camp will actually clarify. Those are the threads worth pulling right now.