Category: Latest Rams news

Report: Rams will meet with Todd Gurley to discuss options for 2020

The Rams are putting “all options on the table” with Todd Gurley this offseason.

It wasn’t long ago that Todd Gurley was viewed as a centerpiece of the Los Angeles Rams offense and one of their most important players. While he’s still an effective runner, he’s not the perennial Pro Bowler he once was – largely due to a lingering knee issue that hindered him in 2019.

Trade rumors have begun to swirl surrounding Gurley and the cap-strapped Rams, as he’s far from certain to be on the roster for the 2020 season. His contract extension signed in 2018 hasn’t even kicked in yet, and will pay him more than $14.3 million per year until 2023.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, “all options are on the table” for the Rams and Gurley in 2020, including keeping him, cutting him or finding a trade partner to offload his massive contract. But before they do anything, Sean McVay and the Rams will meet with Gurley to decide how to proceed.

“The Rams do have a decision on Todd Gurley. … From what I am told, what the Rams want to do — and what coach Sean McVay specifically wants to do — is sit down with Gurley before any decision was made,” Rapoport said. “So that’s probably going to happen before they decide how are they going to proceed with someone who at times has been the best running back in the NFL.”

Rapoport notes that outright cutting Gurley isn’t a financially beneficial approach, since they’d incur a dead cap charge of $25.65 million if he’s released after a roster bonus of $7.55 million is paid on March 20. In other words, it’d cost them $8.4 million more to cut him than keep him in that scenario.

Trading Gurley is more feasible, saving the Rams $4.65 million in cap space for 2020. But that’s still not a huge savings and it’ll be tough to find a trade partner to take on his huge contract moving forward.

“Either way, whatever decision they make on Todd Gurley would probably have to be before the middle of March,” Rapoport added. “That’s when more than a $7 million roster bonus is due for him. A very expensive decision they have, but considering what he played through, how much pain in the knee and how much of a focus has been on him, you can certainly understand why at least all options are on the table here.”

The likeliest scenario is Gurley remaining on the roster for one more year. The Rams would have to hope he could recapture some of the magic from 2017 and 2018, but if he can’t, cutting him in 2021 is much easier thanks to the reduced dead cap hit ($8.4 million).

No matter how they proceed, this is going to be a storyline to watch as the offseason progresses.

Aaron Donald doesn’t claim No. 1 spot on PFF’s top 101 players of 2019

George Kittle just edged out Aaron Donald for the No. 1 spot.

There aren’t many players in the NFL who have been better and more consistent than Aaron Donald since he came into the league in 2014. In fact, there might not be any players who match his production and success.

However, in 2019, Pro Football Focus didn’t see him as the best player in football. Instead, that title went to another stud in the NFC West, 49ers tight end George Kittle. On PFF’s top 101 players of 2019, Kittle ranked first, while Donald was just behind him at No. 2.

It’s the first time since 2016 that Donald wasn’t ranked No. 1, and that year, he was also second (behind Tom Brady). Donald was the No. 1 player in 2015, and 18th as a rookie in 2014.

Here’s what PFF wrote about Donald in this year’s edition.

Aaron Donald’s 2019 season is being overlooked because, compared to his season a year ago, it just doesn’t stack up. His 2018 season, though, was one of the greatest defensive single-season performances in NFL history, and it’s unfair to hold him to that exceptionally high standard a year later. Including the playoffs (which Donald didn’t play in), he still led all interior defenders in total pressures in 2019, with 80, which were 11 clear of anybody else. He had the second-best pass rush win rate of any player regardless of position, and he did so while being double-teamed on more snaps than most pass-rushers. Donald’s 2019 wasn’t as good as a year ago, but it was still better than any other defender’s.

Donald led the NFL with 20 tackles for loss, 80 pressures and topped all defensive tackles with 12.5 sacks – a number that’s down from his record-setting 20.5 in 2018. However, that’s partly due to the fact that he gets double-teamed on nearly every play, thanks to his ability to completely wreck an opposing game plan.

Kittle is a terrific player, but he probably doesn’t impact the 49ers offense as much as Donald does for the Rams. But it’s understandable that Donald didn’t get the top spot in this year’s rankings.

Todd Gurley hopes 49ers and Seahawks take a step back in 2020

Todd Gurley says the Rams have to do the little things right in 2020.

A lot of things went wrong for the Los Angeles Rams in 2019. Three starting offensive linemen got hurt, John Johnson and Aqib Talib landed on injured reserve, Brandin Cooks suffered two concussions and both Jared Goff and Todd Gurley regressed from their outstanding 2018 seasons.

The cherry on top, however, was how strong the NFC West as a whole was last season. The San Francisco 49ers went 13-3 and made it all the way to the Super Bowl, the Seahawks finished 11-5 and claimed a wild-card spot and the Cardinals showed promise in the first year of Kliff Kingsbury and Kyler Murray.

The NFC West finished with the best combined record of any division in football (38-25-1), which played a role in the Rams missing the playoffs. Looking toward 2020, Gurley hopes the top two teams in the division come back down to earth a bit and don’t play as well as they did last season.

“Hopefully, the 49ers and Seattle Seahawks don’t do as well as they did last year [in the coming season],” Gurley said, via United Press International. “We have to focus on the little things. We still ended up with a winning season, but we just have to do a little better.”

There are a lot of “little things” that go into winning football games, and the Rams had trouble with many of them. They committed far too many penalties (eighth-most in the NFL) – Andrew Whitworth was called for 14 himself – and their blocking up front gave Goff no time to survey the field and find open receivers, even if the offensive line did allow the fewest sacks in the league.

There was also very little consistency from the defense, going from completely shutting down the Saints and Browns to allowing 55 points to the Buccaneers.

Those are things the Rams must correct in 2020 if they want to get back to the postseason, otherwise, they’ll be home watching again in January.

Watch: Rams players featured in hilarious new NFL ‘Bad Lip Reading’

A new “Bad Lip Reading” is out and it’s predictably hilarious.

One of the best video series on the internet comes from the folks behind the NFL version of “A Bad Lip Reading,” which is a compilation of clips of players, coaches and referees with funny comments dubbed over them. They release a new video each year for the past season, and the one that came out for the 2019 campaign is predictably hilarious.

The Rams are featured in it a few times. Jared Goff has an exchange with Prince Amukamara after a win over the Bears, but the best part comes when the Rams’ starters introduce themselves on NBC’s broadcast. The players included are Goff, Todd Gurley, Gerald Everett and Andrew Whitworth, which can be seen at the 3:44 mark.

Don’t just watch for the Rams, though. The whole video is worth watching – all 10 glorious minutes of it.

Movie about former Rams QB Kurt Warner coming to theaters

Lionsgate is working on a movie about the life of Kurt Warner.

The story of Kurt Warner’s path to becoming an all-time great NFL player is being turned into a movie. According to Variety, Lionsgate is developing a biopic about Warner that will hit theaters on Dec. 18.

It’s titled “American Underdog: The Kurt Warner Story.”

Warner issued a statement on the announcement, sharing his excitement about the project and being able to bring his story to a wide audience beyond just football fans.

“For the longest time I dreamed of having a story similar to many of my heroes, but as my journey began to stray further and further from that path, I wondered, ‘Why me?’ As I look back on that journey now, I believe I am finally able to answer that question,” Warner said. “I believe God has taken me on this journey to inspire others that no matter what life may throw at you, your dreams can still come true. I am extremely excited to be working with Lionsgate and the Erwin Bros. to bring this story to life on the big screen, in hopes of encouraging all who see it to never stop believing in themselves and what God can do with them!”

Warner’s path to football stardom wasn’t comparable to most players. He wasn’t a first-round pick who went on to have success early and eventually made it to the Hall of Fame. He went undrafted in 1994, played three seasons in the Arena Football League from 1995-1997, made a stop in NFL Europe with the Amsterdam Admirals and eventually landed with the Rams in 1998.

He led them to a title in Super Bowl XXXIV, won two NFL MVP awards in 1999 and 2001 and made four Pro Bowls. Warner went on to become one of the greatest undrafted players in NFL history, being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017.

The film will be based on interviews with Warner, according to Variety, and center around his memoir, “All Things Possible: My Story of Faith, Football, and the First Miracle Season.”

ESPN predicts Rams will shop Todd Gurley this offseason

The Rams need cap space, and they can create some by trading Gurley this year.

Todd Gurley’s knee was the most talked-about storyline last offseason as everyone wondered if he would be his normal self after taking a backseat in last year’s playoffs. The speculation and concerns turned out to be warranted as Gurley had his worst season since 2016.

He was also used less than he ever has been, getting a career-low 223 carries and only catching 31 passes in 15 games. Malcolm Brown was more involved in the offense, and Darrell Henderson got a small share of touches, too, which helped make up for Gurley’s reduced role.

All of this took place in a year when Gurley’s lucrative contract extension hadn’t even kicked in yet. That begins in 2020 and will run through 2023 at an average of $14.38 million per year.

Gurley clearly isn’t the running back he once was and the Rams are now in a predicament. Do they pay him more than $14 million per season to be an average back or do they trade him and try to offload his contract? ESPN’s Lindsey Thiry predicts the Rams will at least try to shop him, though finding a trade partner could be tough.

Here’s what Thiry wrote in ESPN’s NFL-wide prediction piece.

In a pinch to find space under the salary cap, the Rams will attempt to trade running back Todd Gurley.

Whether L.A. can pull it off remains another question, given Gurley’s massive contract that includes $45 million in guarantees and runs through the 2023 season, as well as the uncertainty that continues to surround the long-term health of his surgically repaired left knee. This past season, Gurley played a diminished role in the offense, rushing for 857 yards, his fewest since the 2016 season (885).

If the Rams do trade Gurley, the cap savings won’t be huge. They would gain $4.65 million by shipping him out of town, which is far more reasonable than the $8.4 million cap loss they’d suffer by outright cutting him.

His cap hit in 2020 is $17.25 million, the highest of any running back in the NFL. It’ll be at least $12.4 million in each of the following three years, too, so it’s not as if he’ll get significantly cheaper any time soon.

Brown and Henderson are capable backs for the Rams and would be able to carry the load if Gurley is traded. They don’t possess the proven production that Gurley has, but Henderson showed how explosive he was last season and Brown has earned the trust of the coaching staff.

It’s going to be an interesting offseason in Los Angeles, given the team’s need for cap space and the difficulty of finding it with such a top-heavy roster.

Tyler Higbee went from overlooked TE to top-75 player in NFL

Tyler Higbee was ranked as the 74th-best player in the NFL by Pro Football Focus in 2019.

When looking at the Los Angeles Rams’ offensive playmakers heading into the 2019 season, Tyler Higbee’s name was far down the list. He was behind the likes of Todd Gurley, Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods, Brandin Cooks, Gerald Everett and in some minds, even Darrell Henderson Jr.

No one expected him to have the season that he did, but Everett’s injury and the Rams’ mentality shift late in the year led to a breakout campaign by Higbee. He finished the season with 69 catches for 734 yards and seven touchdowns, more than doubling his career reception and yardage totals from the previous three years combined.

It was the best season ever by a Rams tight end, setting franchise records in receptions and yards thanks to his late-season emergence. In the final five games alone, he had 43 catches for 522 yards and two touchdowns, topping 100 yards in four of those starts.

He’s now on the radars of most casual NFL fans – partly due to fantasy football – and has garnered the respect of Pro Football Focus. PFF is ranking the top 101 players in the NFL from the 2019 season and Higbee came in at No. 74.

The Rams took a significant step back this season overall, but one member of the team who went in the other direction was their tight end, Tyler Higbee. Higbee more than doubled his previous career-high figures for receptions and receiving yards while receiving more than twice the targets he did a season ago. He broke seven tackles after the catch and hauled in 80.2% of the passes thrown his way over the season.

Higbee probably wouldn’t have sniffed the top 200 players in the NFL before last season, but he burst onto the scene with a huge performance and people are taking notice. Now that he’s established himself as the top tight end in Los Angeles, it begs the question of what Everett’s role will be in 2020.

Could the Rams try to shop him in order to recoup a mid-round pick? Or will they simply utilize more two-tight end sets with Higbee and Everett to make their offense even more versatile and unpredictable?

That’s up to Sean McVay and new offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell, but at least there are countless options with this group. Higbee’s breakout season came at the perfect time for the Rams, especially since they just signed him to an extension in September.

Rams cancel trip to China with Taylor Rapp over coronavirus concerns

The Rams and Taylor Rapp had planned to go to China next week.

Taylor Rapp has quickly become a role model for the Los Angeles Rams, specifically in the Asian community. Being a Chinese American, Rapp wants to “show that Asians can play,” encouraging young athletes to pursue their dreams.

That campaign was supposed to continue abroad in China next week, with the Rams and Rapp traveling to Beijing and Shanghai for nearly two weeks. However, due to concerns over the coronavirus outbreak, that trip has been canceled.

The trip could take place at some point, but now plans have been set.

Here was the original announcement from Rapp and the Rams on Twitter.

It’s disappointing, but it’s simply impossible for the Rams to take this trip. The U.S. has closed travel to China and airlines have canceled flights there in hopes of containing the virus.

There are more than 24,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus around the world with nearly 500 deaths reported as a result of it. Only two of those deaths have been outside of China.

The Rams have been rumored as a team that could play a game in China in the future, and this planned trip increased speculation that a game could happen at some point. For now, those plans will be put on hold until the virus is contained.

Jalen Ramsey welcomes Mookie Betts to L.A. after blockbuster trade

The Dodgers agreed to acquire Mookie Betts from the Red Sox and Jalen Ramsey is pumped.

The Los Angeles sports scene added yet another star on Tuesday night with the Dodgers agreeing to acquire Mookie Betts in a blockbuster trade with the Boston Red Sox. Just in the last year, Los Angeles has added Jalen Ramsey, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Anthony Davis – and now Betts.

Ramsey, one of the newest arrivals in Hollywood, welcomed Betts to the city on Twitter after the trade was reported, but admitted he won’t be able to show him much since he just got there, too.

The Dodgers already looked like one of the favorites to win the World Series this season, but those odds just got even better with the arrival of Betts. They have the second-best odds to win it all at (+350), only behind the New York Yankees (+300).

Not long ago, the Rams were the talk of the town after making the Super Bowl, but since then, the Lakers, Clippers and now Dodgers have garnered the attention as of late.

What can Rams expect from Austin Corbett and Kenny Young in 2020?

The Rams added Austin Corbett and Kenny Young last season, but what do they bring to the table in 2020?

The Los Angeles Rams were busy at the trade deadline last year, striking several key deals involving Marcus Peters, Aqib Talib and Jalen Ramsey. But while those trades got most of the attention – specifically Ramsey’s acquisition – the Rams quietly added two players in the process: Austin Corbett and Kenny Young.

We saw some of Corbett in 2019 when he filled in at left guard after Brian Allen and Joseph Noteboom went down, starting seven games for the Rams after being traded by the Browns. Young wasn’t quite as prevalent, though, in the sense that he didn’t play a single defensive snap in 2019.

Young wasn’t brought in to be a solution at linebacker last season, but there was some outside belief that he could help contribute next to Cory Littleton with Micah Kiser on IR and Bryce Hager hurt (and struggling).

Expectations were low for both players in 2019, but what might their roles be next season? It’s complicated for both of them.

For Corbett, he can play both guard and center. Andrew Whitworth is expected to return for another year in Los Angeles, which means Joseph Noteboom won’t slide over to left tackle just yet.

As a result, Corbett will need to battle him for a starting job – a competition that will be fairly evenly matched. Corbett only allowed one sack last season, while Noteboom didn’t allow any (on 166 fewer snaps). Neither was a standout guard, but Corbett was more consistent and reliable as a blocker.

At center, Allen hardly looked like a starting-caliber player for the Rams. He was outmuscled regularly and didn’t carry the punch and power that many expected him to on the interior; he’s a bit undersized but still possesses good strength. Offensive line coach Aaron Kromer likes to cross-train his linemen, so expect Corbett to get some time at center this offseason, too.

As for Young, his path to playing time will depend greatly on Littleton’s future. If Littleton leaves in free agency, the Rams will be looking for a new starter at inside linebacker. They didn’t have a quality No. 2 linebacker next to him last season, either, so that’s a position of need, too. Young isn’t exactly reliable in coverage, though, allowing four receptions on four targets with one touchdown last season. In 2018, he allowed 15 catches on 23 targets, giving up only 93 yards on those plays. Littleton is just the opposite, proving to be one of the best coverage linebackers in football.

Expecting Young to replace Littleton is unreasonable, simply because he isn’t the same type of player. But if the Rams can retain Littleton and Young has a strong spring and training camp, he could get a look as the second inside linebacker.

Troy Reeder, Travin Howard and Kiser will all be in the mix, too, but Young is more experienced and is a former starter in the NFL. He just needs to improve against the pass and make better reads against the run.

There could be openings for both Young and Corbett to carve out roles next season, but they’ll likely need to win camp battles in order to earn significant playing time.