The Los Angeles Rams beat the Dallas Cowboys, 31-21, in their first preseason matchup, with rookies getting their first experience in the NFL.
The main draw for the preseason would be tight end Terrance Ferguson, but he did not make his preseason debut due to a groin injury. This allowed the other Rams rookies to stand out in their first preseason.
Fourth-round pick Jarquez Hunter had the most rush attempts in the game against Dallas, running for 41 yards.
Turf Show Times Blaine Grisak named the former Auburn Tiger running back as a player he will keep his eye on during the team’s next preseason game.
“This isn’t to say that Hunter was disappointing in the first game against the Cowboys, but it’s fair to say that we need to see more. Hunter lacked patience behind the line of scrimmage and too often ran into the backs of his offensive linemen rather than waiting for a hole to open up. While he ran hard, he could have run smarter,” Grisak wrote.
“A lot of this will come with experience as Hunter gets used to the speed of the NFL and how quickly lanes go from being open to being filled. In 11 carries, Hunter averaged 3.7 yards per attempt which was similar to Blake Corum’s 3.6 yards per attempt on nine carries. Still, if Hunter is going to be the team’s explosive back, he needs to do more.”
Jarquez Hunter On His Preseason Debut
GettyLos Angeles Rams running back Jarquez Hunter
Jarquez Hunter last played for Auburn last season, rushing for 1,201 yards and 8 touchdowns.
With the draft process, combine, pro days and team workouts, Hunter (while in shape) has not played a game of football since 2024.
“It felt great for me, too,” Hunter said, via the Rams website. “Like just going from, my last football game I played was in November, so it’s been a long period of time since I had physical contact. It felt good just getting back out there active with the guys. I felt like camp went pretty well. And just going out there for my first NFL game, it was pretty good.”
The running back should get more opportunities as the preseason continues, with offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur praising the position group for their performance.
“They ran well,” LaFleur said. “They ran hard. They got the ball where it was supposed to go to… It was good to see live bullets. It is what we expected, and we’ll continue to look for improvement.”
Running Back Room
GettyRonnie Rivers (left) and Blake Corum (right) of the Los Angeles Rams
Running back Kyren Williams will get the bulk of the carries for the Rams next season.
Jarquez Hunter will need to work his way up to get playing time, with Blake Corum and Ronnie Rivers ahead of him on the depth chart.
Williams had the most carries for the Rams and the third most in the league last season with 316. Corum had the second most carries for Los Angeles, 58, which is around a fifth of what Williams had. Rivers had 22 carries, but one of the more experienced players in the Rams’ backfield under McVay.
Hunter will need to use the rest of the preseason to bump himself higher in the running back depth chart.
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