Los Angeles Rams picked as team for HBO’s ‘Hard Knocks’

The Los Angeles Rams’ move back to the West Coast will be chronicled in the new season of HBO’s Hard Knocks.

The news was first reported by the Los Angeles Times just before NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell makes an official statement at the end of the annual owners meetings.

“It’s clear both in Southern California and nationwide there’s significant interest in the return of the Rams to Los Angeles, and it seemed like a very good year to give people a look at our franchise and our players,” Rams COO Kevin Demoff told the Times. “We have one of the youngest teams, a lot of talented players -- back-to-back rookies of the year -- that we want people to start to get exposure to. What better way to do that than Hard Knocks?”

After two decades in St. Louis, the NFL approved of the franchise’s move back to Los Angeles, which had been without an NFL team since 1994. The move will give this season of Hard Knocks a unique opportunity to see how a team will prepare in a new home.

The team will be the first NFC West team on the show, notes NFL.com. The other teams that were eligible for the show’s 2016 season were the Bills, Bears, Saints, Chargers, Jaguars and Raiders.

The Rams finished at 7-9 last season and are still searching for their first .500 season since 2006. They haven’t been to the playoffs since 2004.