10 Observations from Day 5 of 2026 Rams Training Camp: First padded practice; Myles Garrett and Davante Adams scheduled rest day; Stetson Bennett IV and Ty Simpson impress; defensive standouts in run-heavy practice
Wide receiver Davante Adams didn’t participate due to a scheduled off day: When asked about whether it was a scheduled rest day for Adams and Garrett, head coach Sean McVay had a short and simple response: “Yes, absolutely.” The receivers were still led by Puka Nacua, but Adams’ off day meant more reps for players like Jordan Whittington, Konata Mumpfield and Xavier Smith.
Stetson Bennett IV continues to show command of the offense: Though it appeared to be a run-heavy day, Friday’s practice still afforded plenty of opportunities for Bennett to show his progress and ownership of L.A.’s offense. Two of his best throws of the day were a 25-yard touchdown pass down the sideline to running back Kyren Williams and a deep completion to wide receiver Mario Williams.
Ty Simpson shows progress: The first-round draft pick had arguably his best practice of training camp so far, showing off a quicker release and more comfort operating the offense. A pair of throws that stood out in that regard were a deep completion to tight end Terrance Ferguson and an intermediate one to tight end Max Klare, with plenty of zip on both. There were a couple of instances where defenders dropped would-have-been interceptions, but it was an otherwise solid day for the Alabama product.
“Even just from the things we talked about in the spring, just even being able to call the plays in the huddle where we get in and out,” McVay said, when asked where he’s seen improvement in Simpson between when he arrived in L.A. and where he is now. “When the games are real, it’s a 40-second play clock, and they don’t stop it, where we get the ability to be able to stop it in 25 seconds out of a quarter or clock stoppage, and so he’s done really well. And then I think some of the things mechanically about being able to speed up his release, some of the timing and rhythm in terms of his lower half being married up with the routes.”
Offensive lineman Alaric Jackson returns to practice: After sitting out Wednesday’s practice as part of managing the medication for the blood clots he’s been dealing with since last year, Jackson was back on the practice field Friday. “This was just part of how the block situated,” McVay said Wednesday. “He’s in good shape. It was exclusively just managing the medicine for the situation he’s dealt with for the last year.”
Running back Blake Corum’s offseason work evident: Throughout the break between the offseason program and training camp, Corum shared multiple videos of him doing exercises focused on explosiveness and agility. Seeing him go through individual and team drills Friday, it was apparent that work is paying dividends.
