Category: Latest Rams news

Rams sign former Lions WR Quintez Cephus to practice squad

With Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp out, the Rams are bringing in a wide receiver who’s played with Matthew Stafford before

Even though the Los Angeles Rams opted not to put Cooper Kupp on injured reserve, they still need help at wide receiver. Kupp is going to miss multiple games and depth is getting thin with Puka Nacua also sidelined.

On Wednesday, the Rams signed wide receiver Quintez Cephus to the practice squad. Cephus was a fifth-round pick by the Lions in 2020 so he played with Matthew Stafford in Detroit.

He’s been limited to only 22 games in the last four seasons and has just 37 career catches for 568 yards, but the Rams will take any help they can get.

Cephus played at Wisconsin and comes in at 6-foot-1 and 208 pounds. The 26-year-old receiver isn’t a burner (4.73 speed) but he’s a physical player with the ball in his hands, which is a trait the Rams like in a receiver.

49ers fans projected to take over SoFi Stadium once again on Sunday

49ers fans have flooded SoFi Stadium in recent years and Sunday’s game is expected to be much of the same

The Los Angeles Rams haven’t had much of a home-field advantage at SoFi Stadium when the rival San Francisco 49ers come to town. The red and gold jerseys always flood the Rams’ building in Inglewood for these NFC West matchups and Sunday’s contest is expected to be much of the same.

According to Vivid Seats’ Fan Forecast, 62% of the stadium is expected to be represented by 49ers fans. That’s a large number for a visiting team and it could have an impact on the game when the Rams are on offense.

Typically, a home stadium is loud when the team is on defense and quiet when the offense is operating, but it could be just the opposite on Sunday if 49ers fans fill the stadium like they’re expected to.

It probably won’t get to the point where the Rams are using a silent count at home, but they’ve had to use one before. Last year, they went to a silent count against the Eagles and though Matthew Stafford isn’t bothered by it, he would certainly prefer to use a traditional snap count.

“Doesn’t bother me, per se, but it’s definitely easier when I can go on my own cadence at our home games and be able to dictate the tempo a little bit better, but it is what it is,” he said last October.

Hopefully Rams fans are loud when the 49ers offense is on the field to give the home team even the slightest advantage at SoFi.

Rams sign OL Justin Dedich to 53-man roster, DB Quindell Johnson to practice squad

The Rams made a couple of roster moves ahead of Sunday’s game against the 49ers

With Jonah Jackson and John Johnson III heading to injured reserve, the Los Angeles Rams have brought in some depth at both guard and safety. The Rams signed Justin Dedich from the practice squad to the 53-man roster on Wednesday, also signing Quindell Johnson to the practice squad.

Dedich is a rookie who was signed as an undrafted free agent this year but he was cut before the season began. He’s been on the practice squad since but will not have an opportunity to be a member of the active roster.

Johnson was signed by the Rams as an undrafted rookie last year but was one of their final cuts. He was claimed off waivers by the Bears and was waived last month, opening the door for him to return to the Rams.

Dedich will help at guard by backing up Logan Bruss, while Johnson will likely stay on the practice squad as an emergency option behind the Rams’ starters and backup safeties.

Rams place Jonah Jackson and John Johnson III on IR, but not Cooper Kupp

The Rams placed Jonah Jackson and John Johnson III on injured reserve, but they haven’t done the same with Cooper Kupp

The Los Angeles Rams’ injured reserve list is quickly filling up and it’s only Week 3. On Wednesday, the team moved two more players onto IR: guard Jonah Jackson and safety John Johnson III.

Notably, they did not put Cooper Kupp on IR with them.

Though Sean McVay said Monday that Kupp will miss an extended period of time like Jackson and Johnson, it seems they have no plans to put their star receiver on IR.

Either they believe he’ll be back in less than four weeks or they’re worried about only having eight players they can designate to return from IR, so they’d rather keep him on the active roster instead.

Jackson suffered a shoulder injury in Week 1 that will cause him to miss at least four games, and the same goes for Johnson. They’ll be eligible to return in Week 8 because the team has a bye in Week 6.

Jared Verse’s hot start to his rookie season has impressed Sean McVay

Jared Verse has been one of the lone bright spots on defense during the Rams’ 0-2 start

It’s always a nerve-racking time when the promise of a first-round pick meets the harsh reality of the NFL gridiron but for outside linebacker Jared Verse, it’s been business as usual for the former Florida State Seminole.

In two games, Verse has eight tackles, one sack and one forced fumble. A firecracker coming off the edge, Verse’s natural explosiveness and bend on the edge give him the pass-rushing tools only known by the best to play the game.

When asked about his hot start, Sean McVay praised the rookie edge rusher, while also recognizing there’s room for improvement.

“He’s been active. I thought he played really hard. I thought he made some really good plays and I think there are still opportunities for him to continue to grow and learn,” McVay said. “He’s really coachable. [OLBs coach] Joe [Coniglio] does a great job with that group, understanding exactly where all those play opportunities fall within the framework of some of the different calls and what the offense presents. But you talk about a guy who played disruptive, I love the fumble that he forced and it was unfortunate that they ended up recovering it for a touchdown, but you feel him. You guys have heard me mention that. I like the way this guy plays the game.”

While there are some clear shortfalls in Verse’s game, those flaws are primarily due to a college body playing in the NFL. Given the fact that Verse spent this past offseason preparing for the draft, he had limited time to dedicate to his physique.

Once Verse is able to have a true offseason spent on strength and conditioning, expect what has already been an explosive start to turn into high levels of consistent play, especially in the run game.

Sean McVay loves how well Rams’ leading tackler Quentin Lake has played thus far

Quentin Lake has surprisingly emerged as the Rams’ leader in tackles through two games, finding himself around the ball constantly

As much as Quentin Lake has improved his game over the past three years, it’s never a good sign for a team when their leading tackler is a safety. However, that’s where the 0-2 Rams find themselves as Lake leads the team with 21 tackles, 11 of which were solo stops.

A product of UCLA, Lake plays the game of football with the same aggression as his legendary father Carnell Lake. Like Quentin, Carnell also played for UCLA and spent 13 years in the NFL.

Both Lakes, father and son, have a knack for putting ball carriers on the ground. Despite playing safety in the NFL, Carnell played linebacker for the Bruins. His son would inherit his father’s eye discipline, strength, and warrior-like nature, allowing him to make plays all over the field.

When asked about Lake, Sean McVay spoke about his play and the fact he’s the team’s current leading tackler.

“He’s done a great job and he’s at a spot where sometimes you can be in the middle of a lot of the action,” McVay said. “He’s been really active. There are some reasons and some things that you would prefer him not to have to make those plays so that it doesn’t get to the second level or the third level if he’s playing at safety. ‘Q’ has done a good job. He’s in a position to be able to make a lot of plays, but his production is – I think tackles can be a little bit of a misleading stat, but I think ‘Q’ has had two good weeks to start the season.”

While Lake continues to shine, the team remains in shambles after their blowout loss to the Arizona Cardinals. The Rams currently possess one of the worst run defenses in the NFL, getting gashed by both the Cardinals and the Lions.

Perhaps with the home opener on the horizon, Lake’s recent play could force DC Chris Shula to play him closer to the line of scrimmage. Perhaps the inclusion of Lake could help fill the gap left by Ernest Jones but such a tactic could expose the team to the deep pass.

Torry Holt and Steven Jackson among nominees for 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame class

Torry Holt and Steven Jackson will try to get into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as members of the 2025 class next year

Torry Holt has been eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame since 2014, five years after he retired from the NFL. Yet, he’s still waiting to hear his name called in Canton.

The Rams legend hopes this will be the year he gets into the Hall of Fame after being a finalist in each of the last five years. On Wednesday, the initial list of nominees for the Class of 2025 was released and Holt is one of a few former Rams eligible for the Hall of Fame.

In addition to Holt, Steven Jackson, Marc Bulger and London Fletcher are all on the nominee list for the next class. Former Rams cornerback Aqib Talib is a first-time nominee, as well.

From this group of 167 nominees, the selection committee will narrow it down to 25 semifinalists this fall and then eventually 15 finalists. The full 2025 class will be revealed at the NFL Honors show in February.

Holt has come the closest to being voted in of all the former Rams listed above. He’s been a finalist in each of the last five years and will likely make it to that stage again this time, given his impressive resume.

Panthers scoop up Russ Yeast after Rams surprisingly cut him

If the Rams were hoping to bring back Russ Yeast after John Johnson III got hurt, that’s no longer an option

The Los Angeles Rams made the surprising decision to waive safety Russ Yeast over the weekend, parting ways with the former seventh-round pick after just two seasons. He cleared waivers but he wasn’t on the free-agent market for very long.

On Wednesday, the Panthers announced they’ve signed Yeast to their practice squad. A versatile defensive back, Yeast joins Ejiro Evero’s secondary in Carolina with the ability to play safety or cover the slot, as he was doing with the Rams.

It’s unlikely Los Angeles was looking to reunite with Yeast after cutting him, but given the news of John Johnson III’s injury, the timing of Yeast’s release is unfortunate.

https://twitter.com/daringantt/status/1836404976337199586

In two-plus years with the Rams, Yeast played 33 games, made 10 starts and recorded 81 total tackles. He was drafted 253rd overall out of Kansas State in 2022.

Rams are getting crushed in the explosive-play battle, which is a big problem

The Rams aren’t creating explosive plays and they’re allowing a lot of them, which has to be fixed

Explosive plays often determine the outcome of a game and a team’s success over the course of a season. If you’re creating big plays on offense and limiting them on defense, there’s a good chance you’ll win a bunch of games.

Unfortunately for the Rams, they’ve been on the wrong side of that battle through two games this season. Not only are they giving up way too many big plays, but they’ve struggled to create explosives on offense – particularly on the ground.

Let’s look at the data.

According to Jake Grossman, the Rams have only generated nine explosive plays (10-yard rushes or 20-yard passes) on offense, tied for the 11th-fewest in the league. Eight of those have been through the air, which is the fifth-most in football, but they have just one rush of at least 10 yards. That play came on Ronnie Rivers’ 12-yard carry against the Lions. Kyren Williams’ longest carry has gone for just 9 yards, a surprisingly low number for him.

Every team besides the Rams and Raiders have at least two carries of 10-plus yards, which shows how bad the rushing attack in L.A. has been, in large part because of the injuries to the offensive line.

 

The defense’s inability to limit big plays is what’s even more concerning. Through two games, the Rams have allowed 18 total explosive plays, tied for the second-most of any team. It’s an even split between rushing and passing plays, too, with nine each. Their nine rushes of 10-plus yards allowed are the fifth-most in the NFL and their nine passes of 20-plus yards allowed are the second-most.

With a ratio of minus-9 in the explosive-play battle, the Rams are getting crushed. It’s why they’re only 16th in total offense and 32nd in total defense this season. They’re only averaging 5 yards per play on offense and allowing 6.9 yards per play defensively compared to last year when they averaged 5.6 yards per play and allowed just 5.3 on defense.

 

The defense is even worse when you take a more detailed look at the plays they’re allowing.

20-yard passes: 9 (2nd-most)

30-yard passes: 4 (most)

20-yard rushes: 3 (most)

30-yard rushes: 1 (4th-most)

This was a huge problem against the Cardinals, obviously. James Conner’s longest run was 22 yards, Kyler Murray had a 26-yard carry and even Emari Demercado had a 41-yard run. Through the air, Marvin Harrison Jr. had a 23-yard touchdown catch, a 60-yard touchdown reception and a 32-yarder after Murray scrambled out of the pocket. Trey McBride and Michael Wilson also had catches of 20-plus yards.

It’s a sign that the defense isn’t playing cohesively, with lapses in coverage and communication on the backend plaguing Chris Shula’s unit. It’s something that has to improve because up next on the schedule is the 49ers, who have generated the fourth-most explosive plays and then the Packers in Week 5, who lead the NFL with 18 explosive plays.

Jordan Whittington feels ‘very prepared’ to step up amid Rams’ WR injuries

Jordan Whittington is likely to see more opportunities at WR with the injuries suffered by Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp, and he’s ready for the challenge

Injuries have turned what was a promising Rams roster into one that could struggle to make the playoffs. The offensive line has been decimated and the receiving corps is now taking a major hit with Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp out several weeks.

The Rams had good depth at wideout, but it’s certainly going to be tested in the near future with guys like Jordan Whittington, Tutu Atwell and Tyler Johnson being asked to step up. Whittington, for one, is ready for the challenge of potentially being a starting receiver in the NFL.

A big reason for that is the help he’s gotten from players such as Nacua and Kupp, as well as the other receivers in the building.

“I feel very prepared,” he told J.B. Long on “Rams Revealed” this week. “And I think the reason for that is the guys we had in that room, and the guys that we do have in the room. Just Cooper and Puka, just how they instill certain type of things – a mentality in me that just gave me the ability to be able to step up, and I appreciate them for that. But, you know, it really is unfortunate when you lose two of your leaders like that, but that’s kind of how football goes sometimes, so we got the other guys that are still there, we just gotta be able to do what we need to do.”

Whittington played two offensive snaps in the opener and would’ve scored a touchdown if not for a holding penalty on A.J. Arcuri. In Week 2, he played half the game (26 snaps) and caught two passes: one for no gain and another for 22 yards.

Demarcus Robinson will remain one starter at wide receiver but it’s unclear who the other two will be; it’ll have to be some combination of Whittington, Atwell and Johnson. Considering Whittington played the entire second half on Sunday after Kupp went down, he seems like a natural fit to step in as a starter. It’s a tall task for a sixth-round rookie but he looked great in the preseason and has the skill set to be a productive receiver in the NFL.