The Los Angeles Rams will play their first preseason game on Saturday at Arrowhead Stadium against the Kansas City Chiefs. Ever since Sean McVay has been the head coach, the Rams have not played their starters during the preseason and that isn’t about to change in 2026. Here are the players who won’t play, might play, and will definitely play during the preseason, along with who to watch.Players Who Won’t Play in the PreseasonRams Offensive Starters Who Won’t PlayiOL Steve AvilaiOL Kevin DotsonOT Alaric JacksonOT Warren McClendoniOL Coleman SheltonQB Matthew StaffordRB Blake CorumRB Kyren WilliamsTE Davis AllenTE Terrance FergusonTE Tyler HigbeeTE Colby ParkinsonWR Davante AdamsWR Puka NacuaWR Jordan WhittingtonThere shouldn’t be any surprises here when it comes to the players on offense who won’t play in the preseason. The Rams don’t play their starters in the preseason and everybody on this list fits in that category. Throughout training camp, the Rams have erred on the side of caution with injuries to starters. They aren’t going to risk that in the preseason. While some would argue that Whittington should play, he didn’t last year and is the WR3. In his third season, there’s no reason for him to play given the numbers the Rams have at the wide receiver position. Rams Defensive Starters Who Won’t PlayCB Emmanuel ForbesCB Trent McDuffieCB Jaylen WatsonDL Braden FiskeDL Kobie TurnerDL Poona FordEDGE Myles GarrettLB Nate LandmanLB Omar SpeightsLB Grant StuardEDGE Josaiah StewartEDGE Byron YoungS Kam CurlS Kam KinchensS Quentin LakeMoving on to the defensive side of the field, it’s very similar. All of these guys are projected to start or are considered key depth. Josaiah Stewart has had a strong offseason and will be key in the edge rusher rotation. Additionally, Grant Stuard is an important special teams player. There’s no reason for the Rams to put these guys at risk of injury during a meaningless game.Players Who Might Play in the PreseasonRams Offensive Players Who Could See Preseason ActioniOL Beaux LimmeriOL Dylan McMahonOT David QuessenberryOT Keagen TrostQB Matthew CaldwellRB Ronnie RiversWR Konata MumpfieldWR Xavier SmithThese players could all be in their own categories. It’s probably more likely that Limmer and McMahon play to some extent, but they are key depth on the offensive line. The same can be said about Trost and Quesenberry. It simply depends on how the Rams feel about the guys behind them. They also want to create a situation where Stetson Bennett and Ty Simpson can at least operate the offense.If Caldwell plays, it will be in the final preseason game. At wide receiver, Mumpfield and Smith may play to start the game, but the Rams have the numbers at wide receiver to keep those guys healthy. Rams Defensive Players Who Could See Preseason ActionCB Josh WallaceDL Ty DavisEDGE Desjuan JohnsonLB Shaun DolacS Tanner IngleS Jaylen McColloughIt would be surprising if Wallace, Davis, and Johnson played. They are all key depth and both Wallace and Davis didn’t play in the preseason last year. The same can be said about Jaylen McCollough. What the Rams do with Johnson, Ingle, and Dolac will be interesting. It’s probably more likely that Dolac and Ingle play than JohnsonPlayers Who Will Play in the PreseasonRams Offensive Players to Watch in the PreseasonOT AJ ArcuriOL Austin BlaskeiOL Wyatt BowlesOT Blake HanceOT Bryce HendersonOT Bill BurrayQB Stetson BennettQB Ty SimpsonRB Dean ConnorsRB Jarquez HunterTE Rohan JonesTE Max KlareTE Mark RedmanTE Dan VillariWR CJ DanielsWR Tru EdwardsWR Brennan PresleyWR Tyler ScottWR Mario WilliamsMost of the players on this list will be looking to improve their spot on the depth chart or earn a place on the practice squad. The exceptions to that are Stetson Bennett and Ty Simpson. There may not be a player fans are looking forward to watching more than wide receiver CJ Daniels. Daniels had a strong training camp and could look to carve out a role in the offense. All eyes will also be on Max Klare as he’ll get his first action in a preseason game after being drafted in the second round. Dean Connors and Dan Villari are intriguing undrafted free agents. Villari was the highest-paid UDFA that the Rams signed. With his roster spot far from guaranteed, Jarquez Hunter should get an opportunity to show what he can do. Rams Defensive Players to Watch in the PreseasonCB Nyzier FourqureanCB Al’Zillion HamiltonCB Cam LampkinCB Zech McPhearsonCB Alex CookCB Alex JohnsonDL Larrell MurchisonDL Jaxson MoiDL Bill NortonDL Payton ZdroikDL Tim Keenan IIILB Kai Hill-GreenLB Elias NealLB Monty RiceLB Daniel RickertEDGE Wesley BaileyEDGE Tomon FoxEDGE Darryl PetersonEDGE Keir ThomasS Nick AndersenS Nate ValcarcelMuch like CJ Daniels, Cam Lampkin consistently made plays on the ball throughout training camp. With a strong preseason, he’ll lock up a spot on the roster. It will also be interesting to see how much action Tim Keenan sees during the preseason. Keenan was an intriguing selection in the seventh round during the draft. Other players to watch will be Nate Valcarcel and Kai Hill-Green. Valcarcel had a strong preseason last year and spent the season on the practice squad. After not drafting a linebacker, the Rams signed Hill-Green as an undrafted free agent. He’s someone the Rams could look to develop at the position. Wesley Bailey is another undrafted free agent to keep an eye on. Rams Special Teams Players to WatchK Harrison MevisLS Joe CardonaP Ethan EvansThe Rams didn’t bring in any competition at kicker or punter during the summer. However, that will be a good thing, as it gives them an opportunity to smooth out the operation before the start of the regular season.Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, X, and Instagram for the latest news.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow