Category: Latest Rams news

Former Rams All-Pro KR Pharoh Cooper retires from NFL

Pharoh Cooper, a 2017 All-Pro for the Rams, has announced his retirement from the NFL

Former Los Angeles Rams wide receiver and return specialist Pharoh Cooper has announced his retirement from the NFL after seven seasons. Cooper’s best season came in 2017 when he was the league’s premier kick returner, earning first-team All-Pro honors after returning one kickoff for a touchdown and finishing second with 932 kick return yards.

His average of 27.4 yards per return that year was the best in the NFL, 1.8 yards higher than any other player averaged.

Cooper came into the NFL as a fourth-round pick by the Rams in 2016 and played 31 games in Los Angeles before being waived in December of 2018. He latched on with the Cardinals and spent the next four-plus years with Arizona, Cincinnati, Carolina and the Giants.

Cooper finishes his career with 128 kick returns for 3,018 yards and one touchdown, while also returning 102 punts for 936. His longest punt return was 53 yards, with a long kickoff return of 103 yards.

As a receiver, Cooper caught 61 passes for 545 yards and one touchdown in his seven-year career. He last played an NFL game in 2022 with the Cardinals.

‘It blows my mind’: Blake Corum already amazed by Matthew Stafford’s talent

Blake Corum has only been with the Rams for a month and a half, but he’s already been blown away by Matthew Stafford in practice

Matthew Stafford doesn’t always get talked about as one of the four or five best quarterbacks in the league, but from a pure talent perspective, there aren’t many better than him in the NFL right now. Blake Corum has already gotten a taste of Stafford’s ability in a few short weeks of OTAs.

Corum was recently on the “Rich Eisen Show” and he was almost speechless when talking about how good Stafford is.

“I haven’t sat down with Stafford and picked his brain, but let me just tell you this: His ball placement, his IQ – phenomenal quarterback,” Corum said. “It’s crazy how he puts the ball where no one else can get it. It’s absolutely ridiculous. He’s great, man.”

Eisen asked Corum what specifically is so impressive about Stafford and he immediately mentioned his no-look passes.

“The way he can look this way but throw the ball this way, it blows my mind,” Corum said. “But that’s why he’s been in the league so long and been great at what he does for so long. It’s exciting being in the backfield with Matthew Stafford.”

Stafford has just about perfected the no-look pass, using it to his advantage often during a season. It’s not just a flashy way to get himself on a highlight reel. It’s actually a useful type of throw that helps him manipulate a defender into going one way before throwing it in the other direction.

Corum better get used to them because Stafford uses no-look passes on check downs and screens fairly frequently, keeping linebackers in the middle of the field before tossing it to his running back in the flat.

It’s hard not to be impressed by No. 9, even in Year 16 as an NFL quarterback.

Should Rams give UFL standout Hakeem Butler a shot this summer?

Hakeem Butler was the UFL’s Offensive Player of the Year and he could get another shot in the NFL. Should the Rams give him an opportunity?

As talented as Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp are, the Los Angeles Rams have been looking for additional help at wide receiver. They re-signed Demarcus Robinson and drafted Jordan Whittington, but more notably, they showed at least some level of interest in Mike Evans and Rome Odunze this offseason.

Though they didn’t many any splashes at wide receiver, there’s still time for the Rams to find another player who could contribute in 2024. One possibility is Hakeem Butler of the UFL.

Butler was named the UFL’s Offensive Player of the Year after leading the league in receiving yards (652) with an average of 14.5 yards per catch. His five touchdown catches were second in the UFL, as well.

Though his Battlehawks lost to the Brahmas in the conference title game on Sunday, he still put together a strong performance with six catches for 59 yards, including a spectacular 28-yard reception that he hauled in with one hand.

If the Rams or another team were to sign Butler this offseason, it wouldn’t be his first shot in the NFL. Butler was actually a fourth-round pick by the Cardinals in 2019 but never caught a pass in the league after also getting opportunities with the Panthers, Eagles and Steelers since 2020.

What makes Butler intriguing for the Rams is his play style. He’s 6-foot-5 and about 225 pounds, which would make him by far the team’s biggest wideout; Nacua and Kupp are both the tallest at 6-foot-2. He plays “above the rim,” so to speak, as evidenced by his leaping grab in the clip above.

Wade Phillips, the Brahmas head coach, was impressed by Butler’s play in Sunday’s game and had a great message for him afterwards. He told Butler he would talk to all of the people he knows in the NFL that he belongs in the league.

“I’m going to tell everyone in the NFL that I talk to (that) you need to be playing,” Phillips said. “You deserve it.”

Butler would still have an uphill climb toward making a 53-man roster, but after the way he played in the UFL, he at least deserves a chance to compete for a spot in training camp and the preseason. The fact that he’s still competing and trying to make it in professional football shows he’s dedicated to the game.

The Rams could use a big red-zone threat like Butler to complement the styles of Kupp and Nacua. He’s far from a lock to contribute in 2024 but he’s worth a shot after playing so well in the UFL.

Former Rams DC Wade Phillips leads Brahmas to UFL Championship game

Wade Phillips is heading to the UFL Championship game as the head coach of the San Antonio Brahmas 👏

Wade Phillips is a legend of the coaching world, having spent more than 50 years on the sidelines throughout his career – including high school, college and the NFL. He’s also been a coach in the XFL and UFL in the last two years, so his experience is certainly wide-ranging.

At the age of 76, Phillips is still getting the job done. On Sunday, he led the San Antonio Brahmas to a 25-15 win over the St. Louis Battlehawks in the XFL Conference Championship Game, punching their ticket to the UFL title game next weekend.

It’s the first time Phillips will be the head coach in a league championship game, which shows how long he’s waited to potentially win his first title as a head coach. He did win a Super Bowl with the Broncos as their defensive coordinator and he reached Super Bowl LIII with the Rams while leading their defense, but this is new territory as a head coach.

The Brahmas will face the Birmingham Stallions in the UFL Championship next Sunday, June 16, at 5 p.m. ET.

Phillips was the Rams’ defensive coordinator from 2017-2019, spending three years on Sean McVay’s staff. He was a big part of McVay’s first few years in the NFL as a head coach, helping guide the young coach and manage the defense, while McVay primarily focused on building one of the league’s best offenses.

Blake Corum says Sean McVay and Jim Harbaugh are ‘total opposites’

Blake Corum had a very clear response when asked if there are similarities between Sean McVay and Jim Harbaugh

Blake Corum comes into the NFL after playing in a pro-style offense at Michigan for Jim Harbaugh, who helped lead the Wolverines to a national championship last season. Harbaugh has since made the jump to the NFL as the head coach of the Chargers, a team that shares a stadium with Corum’s team, the Rams.

Corum’s new head coach, Sean McVay, also has championship pedigree. He’s won one Super Bowl with the Rams and led them to another appearance in 2018, but he’s nothing like Harbaugh in terms of personality.

Just ask Corum. While on the “Rich Eisen Show” last week, Corum said the two coaches are “total opposites.”

“Total opposites. Total opposites in terms of personality,” he said. “I think they’re both great coaches, but they’re definitely total opposites. But I love Coach McVay’s energy. He’s positive, he’s consistent, he’s bringing the energy each and every day. Growth mindset, even as one of the greatest coaches in the NFL at this point. I love playing for him. I’m excited to strap up and actually play for him, but I love going through these OTAs and playing for Coach McVay.”

McVay’s energy and leadership are two things players often talk about that make him a great coach to play for. Whether it’s running with receivers down the field during practice or doing sprints with the team, McVay is always engaged with his players.

That’s more reasonable for him to do considering he’s only 38 years old, but McVay has been a beloved coach since his first season in the NFL seven years ago when he was just 30 years old.

There’s no denying Harbaugh’s greatness as a coach, too. He’s won everywhere he’s gone, whether it was Stanford, San Francisco or Michigan. But there’s no question he uses a different coaching style than the guy leading the Rams.

Report: Rams showed interest in free-agent CB Steven Nelson this offseason

The Rams were among the teams to inquire about or offer a contract to CB Steven Nelson, who has since decided to retire from the NFL

The Los Angeles Rams completely remodeled their secondary this offseason, both in free agency and the draft. They signed Darious Williams and Tre’Davious White as free agents, while also adding Kamren Curl early in the process. They then drafted Kamren Kinchens in Round 3, potentially giving them four new starters in the secondary.

They considered adding another player, too, according to one report. Aaron Wilson reported that the Rams were among the teams to either offer a contract to or make a serious inquiry about veteran cornerback Steven Nelson this offseason.

Nelson has since decided to retire from the NFL at the age of 31, surprisingly after a career year in which he had four interceptions and 63 tackles.

Like White and Williams, Nelson has primarily been an outside cornerback in his career, so it’s unlikely the Rams’ interest in him came after they had signed their two new veteran starters.

Nelson would’ve been a nice addition to the defense after the season he just had but the team has to be excited about the tandem of Williams and White on the outside.

Look: Andrew Whitworth, Rams O-line all went out to dinner together

Andrew Whitworth has remained close to the Rams organization, recently having dinner with the offensive linemen

Andrew Whitworth has been enjoying retirement since hanging up his cleats after the 2021 season, spending the last couple of years broadcasting, doing commercials and playing golf. Though he’s no longer suiting up on Sundays, he’s remained close to the organization he helped win a Super Bowl two years ago.

Whitworth has attended practices and stayed close to several players still on the team, which is awesome to see. Being a former offensive lineman, it’s only fitting that he’d hang out with that group.

Recently, he and the Rams’ O-line all had dinner together at Craig’s in Los Angeles, reconnecting with some of the guys he played with – including Rob Havenstein and Joe Noteboom.

Steve Avila and Kevin Dotson were also in the photo at the restaurant.

Jared Verse won’t dial back his fiery and loud personality on the field: ‘That’s just who I am’

Jared Verse is a vocal and fiery player on the field, and he doesn’t have any plans to dial that back in the NFL

Jared Verse may only be a rookie but he’s going to make his voice heard on the field. He was vocal at Florida State and he’s been the same way during OTAs up to this point, which his teammate Byron Young loves to see.

In the latest episode of “Behind The Grind”, Sean McVay can be heard talking about how important it is to have a vocal leader on defense.

“Dog. You need a guy that has some (expletive) bark to him to go talk some (expletive) to people, too,” McVay said.

Verse is unapologetically loud. He spoke to Stu Jackson of TheRams.com recently and said he isn’t going to dial back his fiery attitude on the field – and he shouldn’t.

“That’s who I am,” Verse said. “I’m not going to shy away from hiding who I am. This is who I am. I talk a lot. I’m loud. I’m vocal. You gonna hear me. I make a play, you gonna see me hyped up. That’s just who I am. I can’t hide it. I’m not gonna pull back from anybody.”

With Aaron Donald no longer in the locker room, the Rams are looking for someone to step up as the leader of the defense. Ernest Jones will unquestionably be one of those guys, as will Kobie Turner, Tre’Davious White and Darious Williams. But it sounds like Verse is doing a great job of making himself heard on defense.

It’s a sign of his confidence and passion, and it stems from the fact that he’s been always felt doubted.

“I mean, it just comes from me always being doubted, and I really like to hear my voice. I want others to hear it, I want to be loud,” Verse said. “I really just like people to hear me. (Well), not even like to hear me, but it gets me more involved. When other people hear you talking, it gets them more involved, and just gives me, like, a lot more energy. It gives those around me a lot more energy, especially when we’re out there making plays. It just gets everybody hyped up and it just hypes me up. It’s more of a mental thing than anything.”

Verse is an essential piece of the defense in Los Angeles, even though he has yet to play an NFL snap. If he can bring leadership qualities in addition to being a productive pass rusher, the Rams will be elated.

Jonah Jackson impressed by Steve Avila’s move to center: ‘He’s doing incredible’

Steve Avila is moving from guard to center and Jonah Jackson can already see he’s a natural at the new position

Steve Avila turned out to be everything the Rams hoped he would in 2023 after they selected him in the second round of the draft. He not only started all 18 games, including the playoffs, but he played every single offensive snap at left guard.

Despite having so much success as a rookie last year, the Rams are tasking Avila with a huge move. He’s switching from guard to center, which is by no means an easy transition for any player to make – let alone one entering his second NFL season.

Jonah Jackson is the reason Avila is changing positions after he signed a three-year deal worth $51 million in free agency to be the Rams’ left guard. Jackson has gotten a front-row seat to Avila’s transition and he’s been impressed by the former TCU lineman’s move.

“That is a big transition. At guard, it’s definitely more demanding physically, but mentally, the pressure’s off. I mean, you just sit there and wait for the guy in the middle to make the call,” Jackson said. “So moving to center, you have to break down a defense like that, understand IDs and rotations and everything. And I think he’s coming along great, especially for a second-year guy. This is kind of a fast flip for him. He probably thought he was going to play guard until free agency and everything happened. But he’s doing incredible. He’s on it. He’s lightning fast with his calls. He’s a damn good player.”

Avila has much more responsibility now as a center as opposed to being a guard, and he’ll need to work closely with Matthew Stafford in order to set protections, ID the Mike linebackers and identify blitzers.

Jackson says Avila is doing great in all of those areas, which has also made his own job easier.

“Yeah, I mean, I’m there, too, just in case, but we haven’t had to do that,” Jackson said. “He’s been on top of it. We follow where he wants to go.”

As for how good the interior of the offensive line will be in 2024, Jackson says everyone will just have to wait and see.

“You’ll see it come Week 1. That’s all I got to say.”

Blake Corum expects Rams to use him differently than Michigan did

Blake Corum talked about what he expects his role to be with the Rams, and that will definitely include catching the ball

Blake Corum was a little bit of a surprising pick by the Los Angeles Rams in Round 3 considering they already have Kyren Williams at running back, but they want to be a ground-and-pound offense with their bulked-up offensive line leading the way. Corum was by far the most productive back in the 2024 draft after rushing for 3,737 yards and scoring 61 total touchdowns in his career at Michigan, and he’ll now join an offense that’s been kind to running backs throughout Sean McVay’s tenure.

For the Wolverines, Corum was primarily a runner, only catching 56 passes in his career. However, he expects things to be a bit different with the Rams. Speaking to Rich Eisen, Corum shed some light on what he thinks his role will be in Los Angeles and he plans to be a true three-down back who can do it all.

“I think they’re just going to use me a little differently than Michigan did,” he said. “I was more so a bell cow for Michigan where I was running the ball 20-plus times a game. didn’t really catch the ball much. But obviously, you see how they use Kyren, who’s a great running back. So I think they’re going to use me like a regular three-down running back – a guy that can catch, pass pro and run the ball. Something Coach Ron (Gould) tells us is ‘No block, no rock.’ So we take blocking here seriously. They want a guy that can do it all and I can do that for them.”

One trait he’s eager to show off in the NFL is his ability to catch the ball. Though he wasn’t much of a receiving back in college, he’s confident he can handle third-down duties as a receiver in Los Angeles.

He left no doubt about whether he’ll get opportunities to haul in passes next season, saying he “definitely will be catching the ball.”

“I think whatever they ask me to do, I’m capable of doing,” he continued. “Going into the draft, something I wanted to prove to scouts and coaches that were watching was I’m a three-down back. I can catch the ball. Even though I didn’t really catch the ball at Michigan besides the Rose Bowl. But I caught the ball my sophomore year. I wanted to show them I could do that. I think the coaches saw that. I definitely will be catching the ball. I think they’re going to use me as a three-down back, someone who can do it all. For me, I’m just going to do whatever they ask me to do because I know I’m capable of doing everything.”

With Williams and Corum in the backfield, the Rams are situated nicely to be one of the best rushing offenses in the league. They’re very similar players, something McVay has mentioned since the draft, which will allow the coach to interchangeably use his running backs no matter the situation.