After Rams practice on Thursday, coach Sean McVay spoke extensively about his approach for the rest of preseason, including his plans to sit starters Cooper Kupp and Nickell Robey-Coleman.

Both players have been standout performers in training camp and preseason, and McVay believes he’s seen enough out of Robey-Coleman to convince him that he can get some rest this week.

“He’s got nice hands on a lot of balls in practice and I think you see a physical player. Everybody always wants to talk about the size but he plays big, and I think he understands the game. One of the things that been unique about his time here has been that he’s been a solid nickel corner, where he’s played inside in that slot a lot. But he also has the ability to play outside and I think he does a great job playing some of the coverage principles that Coach Wade will emphasize…. so we’re expecting him to be a contributor for us.

Robey-Coleman played a similar role on the Bills defense, although by all accounts it seems like he’ll be utilized on a more consistent basis by McVay and Wade Phillips if he continues on his current trajectory.

Part of that might be due to the team bringing in Robey-Coleman’s former Bills teammate, Sammy Watkins, who McVay said has been challenging the defensive backs so much that he’s actually seen an uptick in their production at training camp.

Cooper Kupp’s situation is a little different, as the rookie wide receiver will be resting due to a minor injury that McVay doesn’t want to exacerbate.

“Yeah he had a little tweak. We’re gonna be smart with Cooper, so we’re going to hold him out this week,” McVay said. “I think he’s gotten a lot of work in these first two preseason games and to really push to where you now have a chance of setting somebody back… being mindful of especially that receiver position, we’re going to take the smart road with him. I think he has gotten that good work and so we’re going to hold him out for this week.”

Kupp turned some heads after his stellar preseason Week 2 performance against the Oakland Raiders, during which he had six catches for 70 yards and a touchdown. Considering McVay’s current plan to sit most first-team players in Week 4 of the preseason, we may not get another in-game glimpse of Kupp or Robey-Coleman until Week 1 of the regular season against the Colts.