5 standouts from Rams' joint practice with Cowboys

The Los Angeles Rams and Dallas Cowboys held a joint practice in Woodland Hills on Tuesday, the first of two practices with another team for Sean McVay's group this summer. Starters got in a lot of work, as expected, knowing they won't be playing in the preseason.

Puka Nacua left early with a minor groin injury and Myles Garrett was held out entirely due to some knee swelling, but the Rams' top players had a great opportunity to face another opponent for the first time.

Based on reports from those who attended practice, here are five players who stood out in a positive way for Los Angeles.

Based on the play-by-play notes from Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, it sounds like Ferguson had quite the day. He caught passes on crossing routes and curls for modest gains, and then had a deep crossing route that went for a big play on what Harris believes was a busted coverage.

He also had a play where he shook Donovan Ezeiruaku "in drop coverage on a wheel route for a big gain," which is a complete mismatch favoring the tight end against the Cowboys edge rusher.

Ferguson should be a key member of the offense this season, especially given the absence of a true No. 3 receiver next to Davante Adams and Puka Nacua. Ferguson's progress puts him in line for a major role in Year 2.

After facing Alaric Jackson and Warren McClendon Jr. all camp, Young and Stewart got a look at different tackles on Tuesday. They were the primary edge rushers with Myles Garrett out, and by all accounts, they dominated. Nate Atkins of The Athletic wrote that Young "had a field day against Cowboys right tackle Terence Steele," using his speed to bend the corner and force Dak Prescott out of the pocket.

Stewart is a terrific third edge rusher for the Rams to have, stepping up both as a run defender and pass rusher on Tuesday. It's reassuring to know someone as capable as Stewart is waiting in the wings as the No. 3 outside linebacker in the event that Young or Garrett gets hurt.

Both Young and Stewart bring great combinations of speed and power to the picture, allowing them to use a variety of methods to get to the quarterback.

Lake has never been a ball hawk but he's taking positive steps toward creating more turnovers this season. In a red zone drill, he picked off Prescott by undercutting George Pickens' route and leaping for the interception in front of the Cowboys receiver.

Lake on lock. 🔒 pic.twitter.com/IybGv21Lq5

Atkins noted that the entire secondary had a good day against one of the league's best passing attacks, with Lake being among the standouts. His versatility, along with Trent McDuffie's, allows the Rams to move around their DBs and create more favorable matchups in nickel and dime packages, which Chris Shula lives in.

Though Stafford did throw one interception to linebacker Justin Barron – one of three picks on the day by Barron – he was otherwise sharp, according to those in attendance. Sean McVay was happy with how his MVP quarterback performed, saying he did "a nice job" outside of the one throw where he was late over the middle.

"I thought he was great," McVay said. "There was one where, just a little bit late over the middle, but I thought he kept the ball in play. I thought he saw coverage really well. I thought some guys did a good job stepping up."

One of Stafford's better throws was a sideline shot to Davante Adams, which can be seen at the beginning of this video. He also zipped in touchdown passes to Colby Parkinson and Konata Mumpfield in red zone work.

Stacking days. 🧱 pic.twitter.com/mXTZFsF6nM

Stafford has been good all summer and that continued on Tuesday.

This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: 5 standouts from Rams' joint practice with Cowboys