One Los Angeles Rams rookie who could win a starting job out of camp
With teams on their month-long break from mid-June to mid-July in between minicamp and training camp, we’ve reached the deadest point of the NFL offseason.
But fortunately for football fans, there’s just three weeks left before training camp kicks off, followed by the preseason and regular season, which starts the week of Sept. 7.
Until then, we’ve done training camp previews and analyzed the top position battle to watch for all 32 teams. Next up in our offseason series is looking at one rookie from every team who could win a starting job in training camp this season, and today we’re looking at the Los Angeles Rams.
Los Angeles’ 2026 Draft Class
- Ty Simpson, QB, Round 1
- Max Klare, TE, Round 2
- Keagen Trost, OT, Round 3
- CJ Daniels, WR, Round 6
- Tim Keenan III, DT, Round 7
Rams fans shouldn’t expect much from the team’s 2026 rookie class. The crown jewel is a player who might not see the field for one to three years.
But if any of the five players the Rams drafted has a chance to win a starting job in 2026, it’s tight end Max Klare.
L.A. has one of the more prolific passing offenses in the NFL, led by MVP quarterback Matthew Stafford and All-Pro wide receivers Puka Nacua and Davante Adams. The problem is the Rams don’t have a George Kittle or Brock Bowers-type player at tight end.
Last season, the team employed a TE-by-committee approach. Colby Parkinson (43 receptions, 408 yards, eight touchdowns), Tyler Higbee (25 catches, 281 yards, three TDs), Davis Allen (24 receptions, 208 yards, three TDs), and Terrance Ferguson (11 catches, 231 yards, three TDs) combined for the production of one elite pass-catcher.
Most expect Parkinson to start the year as the Rams’ TE1, but Klare, who caught 43 passes for 448 yards and two touchdowns last year at Ohio State, could quickly rise up the depth chart.
Many expected L.A. to take receiver Makai Lemon with its first-round pick given the team’s need for offensive playmakers, so it should be a safe bet that Klare will see plenty of targets as a rookie.
