The St. Louis Rams and Dallas Cowboys will have the first of two joint practices Monday afternoon in Oxnard, California. It's the first time the Rams have trained with another team in the preseason since coach Jeff Fisher took over in 2012.
Here's a few things to know from the Rams' side as the sessions kick off:
-- There's no doubt that there will be a strong Rams fan presence at these practices. The group called "Bring Back the Los Angeles Rams" has been organizing and inviting fans to this event since it was first announced in the spring. The group is even holding a VIP party at a local bar and grill after the practices are over. There's still a very passionate group of fans in Los Angeles and with a potential move in the offing, fans are going to attempt to prove to anyone watching how much they want the Rams back and how much they'd support them if they were in the City of Angels again. That should create quite the atmosphere for the practice sessions.
-- Although some of the Cowboys' offensive linemen are banged-up and the Rams have a couple of defensive linemen battling through nagging injuries, the collisions between those two sides should be a highlight of the week. It's possible they won't see much of each other but if they do, the best contest here could be Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald against Cowboys guard Zack Martin. The Rams loved Martin coming out of Notre Dame in 2014, ranking him as the second-best offensive lineman on their board behind only No. 2 overall pick Greg Robinson. Had Donald not slipped to No. 13, the Rams likely would have picked Martin there. When the teams met in Week 3 last season, Donald wasn't yet in the starting lineup. Now, both have Pro Bowls under their belt and are among the emerging stars in the league at their respective positions.
-- Dallas receiver Dez Bryant will not practice against the Rams, which should be considered a disappointment for the Rams' defensive backs, especially cornerback Janoris Jenkins. Jenkins likes to measure himself against the league's best and the chance to do it without it counting would likely have been one of the most intriguing battles in practice. It also would have ranked high on the "most likely to lead to a scuffle" scale, if such a scale existed.
-- The Rams' belief throughout this training camp is that their revamped offense is shortening its learning curve by facing the team's experienced and talented defense every day in practice. The offense didn't produce much in the preseason opener against Oakland but a big part of the reason the Rams wanted to train with another team was to help it get up to speed so it can get off to a fast start this season. Getting two days of work with the Cowboys should help coordinator Frank Cignetti & Co. get a better feel for how that process is coming.