LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Rams are down to one more week of the preseason before they prepare for Week 1 against the San Francisco 49ers in Melbourne, Australia.They’re deciding on a 53-man roster and a few key roles for a team that is currently favored by major platforms to win this year’s Super Bowl. It’s a challenging roster to make, and one where each piece is under the microscope.Here’s a stock report on how players have fared in practices and preseason games since training camp began.Three takeaways from Rams training campNate AtkinsStock upTerrance Ferguson, TELos Angeles opted against adding an obvious third pass catcher behind Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, in part because it has some plans for Ferguson in his second season. Ferguson had a bumpy start to his rookie year after missing time in training camp with an injury and then waiting half a season to see the field, but he intrigued the Rams by turning his 11 catches into a 21-yard average, and now his route tree is growing beyond simply winning matchups up the seam.They are using him on quick passes in matchups with linebackers as well as in alignments at the F (flex), Y (in-line), X (isolated perimeter) and Z (accompanied perimeter) roles. He cut weight this offseason to be able to handle all of that, and the challenge will be holding up well enough as a blocker at tight end while doing so. But the path is there for Ferguson to lead a crowded tight end group in catches and yards and to finish third on the team in those categories behind Nacua and Adams.Davante Adams, WRIf there was concern over whether Adams still had it as a perimeter wide receiver at age 33, this camp has put a lot of those questions to rest. Adams looks fresh and explosive, and he was virtually uncoverable in the joint practices against the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints. What’s perhaps stood out more is his connection with Matthew Stafford, as the two are slicing up zone coverages with route adjustments in the intermediate part of the field, thanks to all the reps they couldn’t get a year ago when Adams was new and Stafford missed virtually all of training camp.The challenge for Adams will remain staying healthy for a full season, as he dealt with constant lower-body injuries last year. The Rams might have to get creative again with load management at times, but the talent has not seen a drop-off.Kam Kinchens, FSThe Rams loaded up in the secondary this offseason with Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson at outside cornerback in addition to extensions for safeties Quentin Lake and Kam Curl. But the youngest member of the starting secondary has been flashing within that infrastructure, too.Kinchens’ role could be fascinating behind a Myles Garrett-led pass rush that will harass quarterbacks into tipped passes and underthrown balls. He intercepted 11 passes across his final two seasons at the University of Miami and then six more in his first two NFL seasons. Lake believes Kinchens could get to as many as 10 this season if the rest of the defense delivers around him.Josaiah Stewart, OLBThe Rams added to their edge rush this offseason with the blockbuster trade for Garrett, but they’re always looking for more pass rushers they can get on the field. Stewart is earning those looks right now. He intrigued as a third-round rookie last season with a 17.3 percent pressure rate and 11 percent knockdown rate on 154 pass-rushing snaps, according to Sports Info Solutions, and he looks stronger and more confident in camp right now with Garrett sidelined with swelling in his knee.Stewart’s standout day came in the joint practice against the Cowboys, when he consistently beat first-round left tackle Tyler Guyton around the edge for sacks and run stops.Xavier Smith, WR/PRLos Angeles decided to bring Smith back after last season ended with two muffed punts in the NFC Championship Game loss to the Seattle Seahawks. The hope was that he could learn from that moment and attack this camp with a new attention to detail. So far, Smith has shown that. He’s been steady with punt returns and ripped off a 40-yard return in the preseason opener against the Kansas City Chiefs. He’s also getting some playing time with the first-team offense in Nacua’s absence and has shown some speed on the perimeter.His roster spot isn’t a lock yet, but if he gets one, he could hold one of the more important roles on this team when it comes to improving off last season.Xavier Smith is hoping to lock down the punt return spot after making a few mistakes in last season’s NFC Championship Game. (David Eulitt / Getty Images)Wesley Bailey, OLBThe Rams don’t have many roster spots available to win, but Bailey might be forcing their hand. The Louisville and Rutgers product is making it look shocking that he went undrafted this spring, as he has dominated two preseason games, including Saturday against the Saints, when he racked up 10 pressures, four quarterback hits, a sack, a tackle for loss and a forced fumble. The Rams will have to keep him on the 53-man roster if they want to avoid losing him to a waiver claim.Grant Stuard, LBThe Rams needed a coverage player, a tone-setter and a leader for their special teams unit after last season’s disaster. Stuard has been all of those so far. He’s the most physical and talkative player whenever he’s on the field, and he’s leading a shift in how this team wants to emphasize special teams rather than treat them as an afterthought, as it did last season.Stock downStetson Bennett and Ty Simpson, QBsThe Rams created a backup quarterback competition in camp to fill the void left by Jimmy Garoppolo’s departure, a role they value highly because of Stafford’s degenerative back issue and the reps created by his management plan, where the backup is expected to keep the train rolling and develop players within the scheme.Bennett and Simpson have been up and down since camp began. Simpson has shown the most improvement after just a few reps early on, and he’s clearly growing in the playbook, but he hasn’t made many “wow” plays just yet. Bennett has been inconsistent, with some really nice performances — like his game against the Saints, with two rushing scores and high efficiency — as well as several turnovers and a deep ball that has been spotty at best.Neither has shown anything to be concerned about in their development, but there are a lot of unknowns to gamble a season like this on, given Stafford’s back issue and concerns along the offensive line.Second-team offensive lineThe Rams rolled back five starters who paved the way for the No. 1 scoring offense last season, but they also enjoyed a strong bill of health along the way. Not only can Los Angeles not bank on that happening again this year, but it might also have to deal with a potential suspension to Alaric Jackson as a repeat offender of the league’s personal conduct policy.It’s been concerning to see third-round rookie right tackle Keagen Trost suffer a hamstring injury that will threaten the start to his season, and top interior backup Justin Dedich just came back to practice after missing a month with a hand injury. If Trost can’t play in Week 1, the swing tackle will be David Quessenberry, who just turned 36 and last started a game in 2023. The second-team line struggled mightily with pressure in the joint practices with the Cowboys and Saints.Jarquez Hunter, RBThis is not really about Hunter’s play as a running back, as he showed a nice mix of vision, physicality and wiggle in his 12-carry, 68-yard performance against the Saints on Saturday. This is about his path to a role. Hunter is still a distant third rushing option behind Kyren Williams and Blake Corum, both of whom look faster this summer, and he isn’t seeing much special teams work, either.Hunter has worked primarily as a backup to Ronnie Rivers’ spots on those teams, and Rivers’ roles there and as a return option make him very likely this team’s No. 3 running back to start the season. Hunter could be in another waiting game for when either Williams or Corum suffers an injury.Braden Fiske, DLThis is a similar situation to Hunter’s. Fiske isn’t struggling on the field, but he isn’t flashing much, either, and he might need to in order to have a chance at much playing time this season. If Aaron Donald decides to make a comeback, he’ll start along with Kobie Turner on the interior in rush situations, and Stewart’s emergence, particularly as a run defender, could make it harder to find snaps on the edge in base downs.It would be a good problem for the Rams, but it could make it tough for Fiske to show who he can be in this league now that he’s healthy.