Tag: Johnny Mundt

Rams 2022 free agency preview: With depth at TE, will Johnny Mundt be back in LA?

The Rams have good depth at TE now, so could that spell the end for Johnny Mundt in Los Angeles?

Tight end is a position that’s been owned by Tyler Higbee, especially since Gerald Everett’s departure. He’s done an excellent job as the starting tight end, rarely coming off the field.

Johnny Mundt has been a solid backup when needed, especially as a blocker, but is there still room for him on the 53-man roster next year with Kendall Blanton and Brycen Hopkins showing potential last season?

The Rams have a decision to make with Mundt, who was a restricted free agent last year but will now hit unrestricted free agency if the Rams don’t sign him before Wednesday.

Rams running game felt Johnny Mundt’s absence vs. Lions

Johnny Mundt was a big part of the Rams’ running game as a blocker and his absence was felt on Sunday against the Lions.

The Rams had their worst rushing output of the season on Sunday against the Lions, gaining just 47 yards on the ground. Darrell Henderson Jr. accounted for 45 yards himself, while Sony Michel gained 4 yards on his two carries and Matthew Stafford’s two kneel downs lost 2 yards.

It may not be a coincidence that Sunday was also the first game of the season that Johnny Mundt missed due to his torn ACL. He’s taken on the role of the Rams’ No. 2 tight end, replacing Gerald Everett and complementing the skill set of Tyler Higbee.

Mundt may not have been a huge part of the Rams’ impressive passing attack, but he was blocking well on the edge – especially in the running game.

According to Pro Football Focus, Mundt had a run-blocking grade of 71.0, 10th-best in the NFL among qualifying tight ends. Whether he was sealing off the edge against a linebacker or crashing down on a defensive lineman to open up a hole for Henderson, Mundt was effective in his role.

And against the Lions on Sunday, the Rams steered clear of two-tight end groupings. Higbee played every snap, but Kendall Blanton was the only other tight end to get on the field, playing two snaps.

According to Sosa Kremenjas of PFF, the Rams averaged 2.5 yards per carry on those two plays in 12 personnel compared to 3.8 yards per carry in the first six weeks with Mundt. Their 12 personnel usage also went way down, dropping from 17.3% to 3.3% when running the ball.

It’s very clear that Sean McVay doesn’t have confidence in Jacob Harris and Brycen Hopkins to replace Mundt as the No. 2 tight end. Harris didn’t play an offensive snap and Hopkins hasn’t been active for a single game all year.

The trade deadline is approaching and McVay wouldn’t completely rule out the possibility of the Rams making a move after trading away Kenny Young. Might there be a blocking tight end on their radar?

It’s something to watch with a week to go until the deadline.

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Johnny Mundt (knee) and Jake Funk (hamstring) both out for season

Johnny Mundt and Jake Funk have both been ruled out for the rest of the season due to injury.

The Los Angeles Rams didn’t have any trouble putting away the New York Giants in Week 6, but they didn’t come away from the game completely unscathed. Both Johnny Mundt and Jake Funk suffered injuries on Sunday, knocking them out for the second half of the contest.

On Monday, Sean McVay revealed that Mundt and Funk will both be out for the rest of the season, per J.B. Long.

Mundt injured his knee and Funk tore his hamstring, and both players will undergo surgery.

Mundt exited in the first half of the game with a knee injury that was discovered to be a torn ACL. The Rams will place Mundt on season-ending injured reserve. While Mundt isn’t a lethal weapon through the air, he’s a capable pass-catcher that is useful as a blocker.

The five-year veteran has caught 10 passes for 93 yards in his career. Mundt saw an increase in playing time behind Tyler Higbee with Gerald Everett departing in free agency. We could see either Jacob Harris or Brycen Hopkins in an expanded role amid the absence of Mundt.

As for Funk, the rookie running back sustained a hamstring injury on Sunday versus the Giants.

Funk spent most of his time on special teams, playing in more than 50% of the Rams’ special teams snaps in four out of the first six weeks. With Cam Akers, Raymond Calais, and Xavier Jones all on injured reserve already, Funk was serving as the No. 3 running back on the depth chart behind Darrell Henderson Jr. and Sony Michel.

Seeing that Los Angeles is now thin at running back, they could look to add someone in free agency. And given Funk’s role, the Rams may prioritize someone that can contribute on special teams.

Hopefully, Mundt and Funk can come back stronger for the Rams in 2022.

Kevin O’Connell shares how Rams view Johnny Mundt as ‘a vertical threat’ on offense

Kevin O’Connell discusses how the Rams plan on deploying Johnny Mundt for the 2021 season.

Tyler Higbee figures to be the No. 1 tight end for the Los Angeles Rams this season, but he won’t be the only tight end utilized in the offense. With the departure of Gerald Everett this offseason, Johnny Mundt is in line to receive more playing time in his fifth season with the organization. Kevin O’Connell, the offensive coordinator of the Rams, believes Mundt could be a “vertical threat” in the new-look offense that has Matthew Stafford under center.

That, despite Mundt being seen as more of a blocking tight end due to his lack of production as a receiver.

“I think he’s seen like that because he’s really excelled at that skillset, but Matthew and I were talking about him today, actually, just how much of a vertical threat he can be,” O’Connell said. “We all saw last year against Chicago, really in a week where we needed him, his playmaking ability with the ball in his hands, yards after catch, different ways we can activate him in our offense. And then, oh, by the way, he’s one of the best, in my opinion, on the edge blocking at the Y position, F position, however you activate those guys.”

The game O’Connell is speaking about came in Week 7 of the 2020 season. Higbee was sidelined with an injury, which led to Mundt seeing an increased role in the offense. Mundt would finish the game with three receptions for 48 yards, including a 34-yard reception that he caught over the middle of the field from Jared Goff in the second quarter.

By simply looking at his career numbers, Mundt hasn’t been very productive with only nine receptions for 84 yards in his first four seasons. Despite his unimpressive stats, the Rams seemingly view Mundt as an important piece of their offense. Aside from O’Connell’s confidence in Mundt being able to create plays down the field, he believes Mundt’s ability to contribute as a run-blocker makes him valuable moving forward.

Some people may be anxious to see rookie Jacob Harris become a cog in the offense this season. But with O’Connell heaping praise on Mundt, we should expect to see more of No. 82 on the field at the tight end position. While Higbee is expected to post the best numbers at the tight end position, there’s a chance Mundt has a career year with the Rams in 2021.

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Johnny Mundt in line to be Rams’ No. 2 tight end – at least initially

Johnny Mundt is penciled in as the Rams’ No. 2 tight end, but Jacob Harris could push him as the season goes on.

For the last four years, Tyler Higbee and Gerald Everett worked in tandem at tight end with the Rams. They each had roles on offense, contributing as both blockers and receivers. But now that Everett is with the Seahawks, the Rams need a new TE2 behind Higbee.

Johnny Mundt appears to be the man for the job.

Mundt joined the Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2017 and has suited up for 41 games, making three total starts. His playing time has been limited to mostly special teams, however, and he’s only been targeted 12 times in his career.

He doesn’t seem like someone who’s poised to make a big jump at tight end, but he’s clearly ahead of Brycen Hopkins, Jacob Harris and Kendall Blanton right now, just based on the fact that he’s been held out of both preseason games.

Sean McVay indicated Monday that Mundt is in line to take on a bigger role this season behind Higbee, while the younger guys jokey for snaps as the No. 3 and 4 tight ends.

“Higbee does a great job being able to lead the way,” McVay said of the Rams’ tight ends. “He’s been a productive player for such a long time. I think he’s feeling good. He really battled through a lot of different things last year that that’s really a credit to his toughness and his resilience. Johnny Mundt, I think is ready to take on a bigger role. And then really guys are working to establish themselves behind those two.”

The Rams don’t need Mundt to be a receiving threat the way Everett was. They have plenty of options in the passing game already, from Robert Woods to Tutu Atwell. Harris is better suited for that type of role anyway, while Mundt is a better blocker.

His role will be larger than in the last four years but don’t expect Mundt to suddenly catch 40 passes and rack up 400 yards. He’ll be more of a complementary player contributing as an in-line blocker. That’s his strength.

But as the season progresses and Harris gains experience, he could overtake Mundt on the depth chart and become like Everett was in the last few years.

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Rams agree to 1-year deal with TE Johnny Mundt

The Rams are bringing back Johnny Mundt on a 1-year deal, likely as their No. 3 tight end.

The Los Angeles Rams lost Gerald Everett to the Seattle Seahawks in free agency, but they did bring back their other free-agent tight end. The team announced on Thursday that Johnny Mundt has agreed to a one-year deal to stay in L.A.

Mundt was initially a restricted free agent but the Rams chose not to tender him by Wednesday’s 4 p.m. ET deadline. As a result, he became an unrestricted free agent.

Had the Rams tendered him as a restricted free agent, they would’ve paid him at least $2.1 million for 2021 alone, which was a high price for a reserve tight end.

The terms of his one-year deal were not released, but it’s likely for significantly less than the $2.1 million tender.

Last season, Mundt caught four passes for 53 yards, suiting up for all 16 games. He’s primarily a blocker and special teams player but has shown the ability to contribute as a receiver when needed.

He joined the Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2017 and has remained with the team ever since.

Johnny Mundt’s blocking carries value for Rams at TE in 2020

It shouldn’t be a tough decision for the Rams to retain Johnny Mundt.

When discussing the Rams’ current tight ends, two players immediately come to mind: Tyler Higbee and Gerald Everett. Higbee just set franchise records for receptions and yards by a tight end in 2019, while Everett is viewed as a breakout candidate at tight end seemingly every season.

The player who gets left out of the conversation each time is Johnny Mundt. He only played 19% of the snaps in 2019 and has fewer career receptions (5) than Higbee had in each of his last five games of the season.

It’s easy to overlook Mundt as merely a reserve player who doesn’t contribute much. However, he provides value in ways that don’t show up on the stat sheet. According to Pro Football Focus, Mundt finished eighth in run blocking and 10th in pass blocking among all tight ends and running backs this past season.

His blocking is a big reason the Rams used so many two-tight end formations toward the end of the season with Higbee and Mundt. In the last five weeks, Mundt played 148 snaps on offense out of his 211 total from the season.

He’ll be an exclusive rights free agent this offseason, which makes it very easy for the Rams to retain him if they wish. There’s no doubt that given the low cost it’ll take to keep him, the Rams should absolutely give Mundt another season in Los Angeles.

This is especially relevant if the Rams end up shopping Everett in the offseason, given Higbee’s emergence. If they can recoup a third- or fourth-round pick for Everett and keep Mundt as the No. 2 tight end, primarily as a blocker, it won’t be a bad move by the front office.