IRVINE, Calif. -- He is the Los Angeles Rams' No. 1 quarterback. Proclaimed right there on the team’s depth chart, in ink and everything.

But Case Keenum understands his situation as well as anyone, and everyone understands it clearly: The Rams made a dramatic swap of draft picks in order to select Cal quarterback Jared Goff in April as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft.

The next day, Rams coach Jeff Fisher flat-out called Goff their franchise quarterback.

But as Rams veterans began checking in Thursday at training camp, Keenum remained atop the depth chart. It’s the first time in his career he’s gone into camp listed at No. 1.

“Never done that before,” Keenum said. “A lot of firsts. The first time cameras have followed me into my dorm when I’m checking in at training camp.”

The attention is a mix of Keenum being the Rams’ current starting quarterback, the team’s historic move back to Los Angeles, and HBO selecting the team for its “Hard Knocks” documentary series.

Keenum’s hold on the starting spot is more tenuous than teenage confidence. No one is certain when Goff will become the starter, only that given everything the Rams gave up to get him, at some point it will happen.

“There’s a lot of scenarios,” Keenum said. “That’s kind of training camp. It’s a time to compete. Time to compete against your position group, time to compete against the defense.”

Through early workouts, Keenum has already developed a relationship with Goff, if not an admiration.

“He’s a great guy,” he said. “I really like Jared. He’s a great football player, but a great person too. I’m excited to see what he brings to the team, to the quarterback room.

“He’s very, very talented. He came in that way. I’m excited to see where he’s going to grow and what he’s going to be able to accomplish. He’s going to play for a long time.”

In the interim comes the NFL’s summer grind. Drills and reps and near-daily practice. And daily competition, whether it’s to start the season opener or more.

Keenum sounds convinced that competition with Goff will not sour their relationship.

“I don’t think so,” the 28-year-old said. “When it’s good people, it really makes it a lot easier. And he’s good people. We’re trying to make each other better. The way I’ve always seen it, I don’t want him to do bad. I want him to do good. When I’m competing against somebody, I want my best to be better than his.

“Anytime anybody is doing well, it’s exciting for our team. It makes our team better. He’s doing well, it pushes me. I’m doing well, it pushes him. That’s what competition is about. Making each other better and, in turn, making the team better.”

Keenum was an undrafted 6-foot-1 quarterback out of the University of Houston who signed as a free agent with the Houston Texans in 2012. He started eight games the next season and lost them all.

He was traded to the Rams prior to last season to back up quarterback Nick Foles. When Foles struggled, Keenum took over. He went 3-2 as a starter, completed 60.8 percent of his passes, and threw four touchdowns to one interception. At the team’s season-ending press conference, Fisher said Keenum would enter the offseason as the team’s No. 1 quarterback.

Which is where he remains today, even if his name at the top of the depth chart should be written in careful pencil.

Foles, well-aware of the Rams' quarterback landscape, asked for his release and was given it Wednesday.

“A great player and an even better person,” Keenum said of Foles. “I wish him nothing but the best. I know whatever team he lands with is going to land a really good quarterback and a great teammate. I know it’s been kind of a weird situation for him. But it’s a business and you have to handle a lot of that stuff before you go play.”

Just as Keenum is trying to handle it now.