As deflating as it was for the Los Angeles Rams to miss the playoffs, there’s still plenty the team can be proud of and hang its hat on. There were breakout performances by a few players, while others established themselves as starters in 2020 and beyond.
To honor the best players from 2019, the Rams announced individual awards to four individuals before their season finale.
Aaron Donald won MVP, Taylor Rapp was named the team’s best rookie, Eric Weddle was selected for the Spirit of the Game Award and Cooper Kupp earned the Ed Block Courage Award for sportsmanship and courage.
Individual honors voted on by the players themselves.
Congratulations to @AaronDonald97, @CooperKupp, @weddlesbeard + @trapp07! 👏
📰» https://t.co/iRztmauJ5f pic.twitter.com/gGctXHhiTk
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) December 28, 2019
Donald leads the team with 12.5 sacks and is No. 1 in the NFL with 20 tackles for loss, once again dominating from the interior. Without him, the defense would look vastly different. He impacts the game in ways no other player does, consistently wreaking havoc in the backfield.
Rapp has been a stud since taking over for John Johnson as a starting safety, recording 93 tackles, seven passes defensed and one interception, which he returned for a touchdown. He still has room to grow, but he showed why the Rams were so high on him in the draft.
His mentor, Weddle, had an up-and-down season. He started out strong, but hasn’t made much of an impact in recent weeks. That being said, he’s still a leader on defense, not only helping Rapp but everyone else from Jalen Ramsey to Troy Hill.
And finally, Kupp earns the Ed Block Courage Award, “which is given to a player who is a role model of inspiration, sportsmanship, and courage.” He bounced back after tearing his ACL last season, catching 87 passes for 1,062 yards and nine touchdowns in 15 games so far this season.