Rams' battered offensive line shows improvement in joint practice with Micah Parsons and Cowboys

Updated Aug. 8, 2024 9:44 p.m. ET

Associated Press

OXNARD, Calif. (AP) — With three starters on the offensive line sidelined with injuries, the Los Angeles Rams’ joint practice with the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday could have made for a long and unpleasant afternoon.

Instead, the Rams’ makeshift front performed well. But, that wasn't enough to keep Cowboys star pass-rusher Micah Parsons from making his presence known.

“It was a good practice,” Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford said. “Sharp day. Guys up front did a really nice job. Obviously down a couple guys at that spot, and those guys really did a great job.”

Having struggled in both run and pass blocking in a workout with the Chargers on Sunday, Rams coach Sean McVay was pleased to see a better showing from that group.

“There’ll be some things that we can certainly clean up, but I liked the sense of urgency," McVay said. "I thought their energy was better. I thought they played with a better edge while also playing within the confines of how we want to practice. But, there’s always going to be things to improve for myself and for all of our guys.”

There was a less rigid structure to the session with the Cowboys, which McVay believed was one the reason for the improvement. While there was no formal game planning or scheming, McVay’s play calling was closer to how it would be in the regular season or playoffs, which helped protect the line against Parsons.

“We’re probably gonna be a little heavier in the run game, getting some quicks (passes) off, and if we’re throwing it down the field, we’re going to make sure we’re closing the edges and trying to help out, and so we called the practice a little bit like that, unknowing of scheme, just personnel wise,” Stafford said. “And I thought our guys went out and executed pretty well.”

Those calls, intended to test the Rams’ fundamentals, did include a focus on Parsons.

“We were saying wherever he is, you find him and you slide to him,” McVay said. “I thought they did a really good job of having him in a variety of spots, but it’s a good test.”

The Rams couldn't come up with a perfect response. During a team period, Parsons slashed through right guard Kevin Dotson, one of the two available starters, and right tackle Warren McClendon Jr. to ruin a drop back by Stafford without actually touching the quarterback.

Stafford was able to keep going through other plays that would have been sacks in a real game, even catching his own bobbled throw on a play at the goal line and stumble into the end zone.

“You could see the respect that they had for him, they kind of all just let up, and he was enjoying that,” McVay said. “So that was a fun play, but I was thinking stop.”

Parsons almost certainly would have taken down Stafford in the backfield had the quarterback been live on that memorable sequence.

Stafford paid Parsons his respects by comparing him to his former Rams teammate Aaron Donald and his knack for ruining a practice.

“I mean, he’s one of the guys in this league where you got to be accountable to where he is on every single play,” Stafford said of Parsons, who has 40 1/2 career sacks through his three seasons. “I had a lot of practice for a couple years with a guy named No. 99 that I practiced against all the time, so kind of understand that.”

What pleased Stafford most was the respect throughout the session, which helped made it a productive one.

That didn’t necessarily extend to the other field, where there were three brief skirmishes between the Rams defense and Cowboys offense, though nothing on the level of the 2021 fight between Donald and a Dallas lineman.

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott liked the intensity on his end of the workout.

“After so many plays and you get into different drills, emotions and tensions are gonna be high,” Prescott said. “I mean, I welcome it. I obviously just don’t welcome any punches being thrown for both sides, and just want everybody to be safe, but that’s the game of football, man.”

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