The Rams lost to the Cleveland Browns 19-17 in their final preseason game Saturday at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland.
Here are five takeaways from the Rams’ defeat:
Tight end Terrance Ferguson can be a force
Ferguson, a second-round draft pick from Oregon, made his debut after sitting out the first two preseason games because of a hamstring injury.
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Ferguson was quiet the first quarter, but in the second he got a chance to show why the Rams selected him to be the heir apparent to veteran tight end Tyler Higbee.
Lining up in the left slot, the 6-foot-5, 247-pound Ferguson broke toward the sideline and made an over-the-shoulder catch for a 33-yard gain. Ferguson, not realizing he slid out of bounds, got to his feet and ran to the end zone.
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“It was a big thing for me to have that first catch and be able to stretch the field a little bit, showcase some vertical speed,” Ferguson said during the television broadcast.
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A few plays later, Ferguson lined up in the right slot, caught a short pass and turned it into a 15-yard gain.
That was all coach Sean McVay and his staff needed to see.
“You feel him,” McVay told reporters in Cleveland after the game. “He’s just got a nice pace to his game. Thought it was great to be able to get him out there.”
Ferguson showed he will be a factor in a tight end group that also includes Colby Parkinson and Davis Allen.
Dresser Winn leads late scoring drive
Rams quarterback Dresser Winn scrambles against the Cleveland Browns in the second quarter Saturday. (Jason Miller / Getty Images)
A week after Stetson Bennett engineered a late scoring drive, Winn did the same.
Winn struggled early against a Browns defense that included multiple starters, but he fared better against reserves.
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Winn completed 15 of 23 passes for 191 yards and a touchdown.
He led a fourth-quarter drive that ended with running back Jordan Waters’ short touchdown run.
Linebacker Shaun Dolac makes the roster
Dolac, an undrafted free agent from Buffalo, was held out of Saturday’s game, a strong indication that he will make the roster.
Dolac, 6-1 and 225 pounds, made his mark on special teams.
Dolac has thus far followed in the footsteps of Omar Speights.
Speights, an undrafted free agent last season, made the roster for his special teams contributions and developed into a starting linebacker.
In other position group clues, receivers Xavier Smith and Konata Mumpfield, cornerback Josh Wallace and defensive lineman Larrell Murchison were among the players held out.
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Desjuan Johnson flexes to outside linebacker
Johnson, a third-year pro, has been competing for a role as part of the defensive line.
But with outside linebacker Keir Thomas placed on injured reserve last week, defensive coordinator Chris Shula gave Johnson a look at that spot, hoping the disruptiveness Johnson showed in the first two games could augment a position group that includes Jared Verse, Byron Young and rookie Josaiah Stewart.
Johnson had four tackles.
Tanner Ingle and others build resume
The preseason offers players the opportunity to audition not only for the teams they are playing for but for all NFL teams.
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Safety Ingle, who was on the Rams’ practice squad last season, delivered several big hits on defense and special teams and finished with six tackles.
Outside linebacker Jamil Muhammad had two of the Rams’ six sacks. Brennan Jackson, Elias Neal, Tony Fields II and Bill Norton also had sacks.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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