Tag: Kamren Kinchens

Rams’ 2024 rookie class ranked as the best in the NFL

From Jared Verse to Omar Speights, no team had a better rookie class in 2024 than the Rams

For the second year in a row, Les Snead, Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams came away with an incredibly productive rookie class. After leaving the 2023 draft with Kobie Turner, Byron Young, Puka Nacua and Steve Avila, the Rams may have done even better with the haul of rookies they landed not only in the draft, but also afterwards.

Pro Football Focus sure respects the Rams’ rookie class because the site ranked it as the best in the NFL for 2024. There shouldn’t be much debate about it, either. As good as Jayden Daniels has been, even the Commanders’ second-ranked rookie class can’t touch the impact Los Angeles’ first-year players have had.

Jared Verse was PFF’s highest-graded rookie defender in the NFL this season and is the favorite to win AP Defensive Rookie of the Year. Braden Fiske was a huge contributor on the interior with 57 pressures and a team-high 8.5 sacks, picking up where he left off as Verse’s teammate at Florida State in 2023.

Those were the Rams’ top two picks, but what they did later on in the draft is what really makes this an excellent class. Beaux Limmer was a sixth-round pick and has maintained a starting job at center over $51 million free-agent signing Jonah Jackson. Kamren Kinchens, a third-round safety, tied with undrafted rookie safety Jaylen McCollough for the team lead with four interceptions each; no other player had more than one.

Undrafted linebacker Omar Speights replaced Troy Reeder after he got hurt and hasn’t let go of the starting job since. Blake Corum didn’t get many opportunities but he was a promising backup to Kyren Williams. Tyler Davis has played meaningful snaps as a sixth-round defensive tackle and Jordan Whittington has provided a spark on kick returns; he was also drafted in the sixth round.

This is all without even mentioning Joshua Karty, who has made 15 straight field goal attempts and was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Month for December/January.

Really, the only drafted rookies who haven’t contributed are Brennan Jackson and KT Leveston, who were both hurt at times this season.

This rookie class is what has made the Rams contenders in the NFC and combined with the 2023 draftees, it’s going to lay the foundation for the next 3-5 years in Los Angeles. The Rams went from being a start-studded veteran group to winning with rookies and second-year players, which should have every fan excited about the future.

Latest Rams injury news following Week 17 win vs. Cardinals

Sean McVay provided injury updates coming out of the Rams’ win over the Cardinals

The Los Angeles Rams have gotten healthy at just the right time, finally getting some good news on the injury front after a frustrating start to the season. They were missing one starter on Saturday night against the Arizona Cardinals as Rob Havenstein was out with a shoulder injury, but he was the only player on the injury report all week.

Coming out of the 13-9 win, the Rams don’t appear to have suffered any setbacks health-wise. Sean McVay told reporters on Sunday morning that the team came out clean other than Kamren Kinchens getting a stinger. He’s expected to be OK moving forward, though.

As for Havenstein, he was close to playing against the Cardinals and McVay is optimistic about his chances of suiting up in Week 18 – if necessary.

There’s a chance the Rams will get to rest their starters in Week 18 if they lock up the NFC West on Sunday with the help of three other teams. If not, they still have a great chance of winning the division next week, simply doing so with a win over the Seahawks.

Regardless, the team is in great shape as the playoffs approach, which sets the Rams up for a potential run in the postseason next month.

Watch: Jared Verse savagely trolled Kamren Kinchens for Miami’s Pop-Tarts Bowl bid

Jared Verse had a surprise for Kamren Kinchens at his locker with Miami headed to the Pop-Tarts Bowl

Jared Verse and Kamren Kinchens may be teammates in the NFL but they’re still ACC rivals – and always will be. Verse was a standout player at Florida State for two years, while Kinchens was a ballhawk at Miami with the Hurricanes.

On Tuesday, their college rivalry remained very much alive when Verse savagely trolled Kinchens in the locker room. With Miami missing out on the College Football Playoff and heading to the Pop-Tarts Bowl, Verse stacked 19 boxes of Pop-Tarts at Kinchens’ locker.

And of course, he filmed the rookie safety’s reaction and posted it on Instagram.

“Morning Kam. Pop-Tart bowl, man. Y’all boys about to go stupid in there, boy,” Verse said, doing his best to hold back his laugh.

Verse isn’t really in a position to talk trash to a Miami alum considering his Seminoles went 2-10 last season and finished last in the ACC, eight games worse than the Hurricanes. But who cares?

He’s the ultimate trash-talker and couldn’t resist the chance to troll his former rival.

Rams rookie Kamren Kinchens is putting in the work and it’s paying off

Rams DC Chris Shula shared a cool nugget about Kamren Kinchens’ impressive work ethic

All eyes have been on Jared Verse and Braden Fiske as the premier players from the Rams’ 2024 draft class, but it’s third-round safety Kamren Kinchens who’s won two rookie awards in the last three weeks.

Kinchens, the two-time NFC Defensive Player of the Week, has taken his game to another level in the last month. It’s not just by chance, either. He’s been putting in the work and it’s paying off for the young safety.

Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula shared a cool tidbit Thursday about Kinchens’ dedication to improving, telling reporters that the safety has come in early and stayed late for the last month or so, spending extra time with assistant head coach Aubrey Pleasant and safeties coach Chris Beake.

“The coolest thing about that is for the last four or five weeks, he’s been coming in and meeting with ‘Aub’ and Beake extra. Almost every single night, every single morning, he’s in there,” Shula said. “You just see that progression and how he’s becoming more and more comfortable and you can see him communicating more comfortably.”

The Rams have dealt with injuries at safety this season, as they have at most positions. John Johnson III is on injured reserve and Kam Curl dealt with a knee injury that caused his snaps to be limited from Week 8-10.

Kinchens’ continued progression has made a big difference for the Rams, with the rookie pulling in three interceptions, forcing a fumble and recording a tackle for a loss in the last three weeks.

“Kam Curl ended up missing some practice with the knee injury, so he ended up getting a bunch of practice reps,” Shula said of Kinchens. “It was after the Vikings game when Kam went down with the knee and he ended up getting a bunch of practice reps. You just saw the growth throughout practice, and then he ends up going into the Seattle game and making plays and gaining confidence. So I think it’s just the confidence, the hard work that he’s put in and he’s seeing that hard work pay off and that just continues to elevate his performance.”

As any rookie does, Kinchens has gone through some first-year growing pains. He struggled a bit earlier in the season but he’s continued to improve, take better angles and put himself in position to make plays.

For a guy who had 11 interceptions in college, he’s certainly living up to his reputation as a ball hawk in the NFL with three picks in the last three games alone.

Kamren Kinchens wins NFC Defensive Player of the Week for 2nd time in 3 games

Kamren Kinchens has been named the NFC’s best defender of the week once again, the 2nd time in his last 3 games

Kamren Kinchens’ terrific rookie season continued with another standout performance against the New England Patriots on Sunday. And for the second time in three weeks, he’s been named the NFC’s top defender.

The league announced on Wednesday that Kinchens has been named NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his play in the Los Angeles Rams’ win over the Patriots. Kinchens helped seal the victory with his third interception of the season, picking off Drake Maye on the Patriots’ final drive of the afternoon when the Rams were leading 28-22.

Additionally, Kinchens had eight total tackles, one forced fumble and a tackle for a loss.

Kinchens is the first rookie in the NFL since 2019 to win Defensive Player of the Week twice in the same season, and he did it in a three-week span. The last rookie to do it was Nick Bosa five years ago.

According to Rams reporter Stu Jackson, Kinchens is also the first rookie since Brian Cushing to win the award twice in a three-game span when he accomplished it in 2009 with the Texans.

The rookie safety has been a standout for the Rams this season, making an immediate impact as a third-rounder out of Miami.

Rams rookie Kamren Kinchens has the makings of a future star in the NFL

Kamren Kinchens is getting comfortable in the Rams’ secondary and he’s showing why he could be a future star in the NFL

It was a surprise to see Kamren Kinchens’ name still on the board at No. 99 overall in the third round of the 2024 draft. He was a ball hawk at Miami, picking off 11 passes in the last two seasons alone, returning two of them for touchdowns.

He also laid the hammer quite a few times in college, proving to be a big hitter in the secondary when he sized up ball carriers. So why did he fall so far in the draft? Most likely because of his 4.65 time in the 40-yard dash, but with the Rams being a team that doesn’t prioritize testing numbers, they snatched him up.

That decision is already paying dividends because Kinchens is shining in the Rams’ secondary. He has three interceptions, one of which being a 103-yard pick-six, making 26 total tackles and forcing one fumble.

He was voted NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his two-interception game in Week 9 and on Sunday, he jumped off the screen again with his third interception. Pro Football Focus selected Kinchens to its Week 11 Team of the Week and also named him both Rookie of the Week and and Defensive Player of the Week.

The third-round draft pick out of Miami had his best game in the NFL to date, earning a 92.6 PFF grade to lead all defensive players in the NFL in Week 11. Along with an interception, he also finished the game with a forced fumble and two defensive stops.

His 92.6 grade was the highest of any defensive player in the league and also set a career-high for him through 10 games, making a huge impact on defense in the Rams’ win over the Patriots.

Sean McVay loves the aggression and ball skills Kinchens has shown up to this point and believes he’s only going to get better as he gains confidence.

“You could say, ‘What’s this guy about? What does the tape tell me what this guy is about?’ He’s competitive,” McVay said. “He’s tough. I thought he played pretty – it felt like he was sometimes playing at a different speed than everyone else yesterday. You could see he doesn’t flinch at the point of contact. I thought he made some great open-field tackles. He’s continuing to get an understanding. He’s got great range and great athleticism, but he’s continuing to get an understanding of, where do I fit within these coverage contours? Where are people trying to attack me? It’s another game where he ends up making a game-changing play to be able to close it out. I appreciate his awareness as a young guy to go down and just let us knee it out. I know [Christian] Rozeboom was yelling at him, but he’s a stud. I thought he really made his presence felt throughout the course of the game and the confidence is continuing to grow as he’s getting reps.”

Kinchens isn’t technically a starter and has only played 33% of the defensive snaps this season, but he’s having the impact of a playmaker every time he steps on the field. There have been some expected growing pains, whether it’s penalties, falling out of position in coverage or missing tackles, but Kinchens has been outstanding in two of his last three games.

As a third-round pick, he has a chance to be a future star in this league and every team that passed on him because of his 40 time is likely to regret it.

“He’s getting more and more confident,” McVay added. “He’s getting a bunch of reps in practice. A lot of that practice, performance and preparation is starting to equal game reality for these young cats. It’s cool to see.”

Rams Week 10 snap counts: LA makes changes at TE, LB and safety

The Rams made changes at tight end, linebacker and safety, turning two three young starters against the Dolphins

The changes just keep coming for the Los Angeles Rams. In addition to having three new starters along the offensive line on Monday night against the Miami Dolphins, they had three new starters elsewhere, too.

The snap counts show that Davis Allen is the new starting tight end over Colby Parkinson, Omar Speights leapfrogged Christian Rozeboom as the primary inside linebacker and Kamren Kinchens played more than veteran Kam Curl at safety.

These may not be permanent changes, and it’s possible that Curl is simply still nursing a knee injury that’s limited him in the last two weeks, but the switch from Parkinson to Allen seems like something that’s going to stick for a while.

Below are the full snap counts on offense and defense, with breakdowns of each position group.

Offense

Starting with the offensive line, Steve Avila, Jonah Jackson and Joe Noteboom all played every snap in their returns from injured reserve. Alaric Jackson and Kevin Dotson played every snap, too.

At tight end is where the most notable change occurred. Allen played 56 of a possible 70 snaps, leading the position group by a wide margin. Parkinson was second with 11 snaps played, barely more than the nine that Hunter Long got. Parkinson’s role has been decreasing for weeks and it seems he’s now officially a backup.

Kyren Williams continues to dominate the snap share at running back, playing 65 of the 70 snaps. Blake Corum came in for five snaps on one drive, touching the ball three times for a total of 15 yards.

At wide receiver, Cooper Kupp played all but seven snaps. Demarcus Robinson actually played more than Puka Nacua barely out-snapping him 58 to 55. That’s not anything to be concerned about with Nacua, though. Tutu Atwell was the No. 4 receiver with a 19% snap share, followed by Tyler Johnson (14%) and Jordan Whittington (7%). This was Whittington’s first game since Week 7.

Defense

Both Speights and Rozeboom played significant snaps, but for the first time all year, Speights led the linebacker group in playing time. He was on the field for 74% of the snaps compared to 62% for Rozeboom, and it was Speights announced as a starter, not Rozeboom.

At safety, Kinchens and Curl were both technically starters alongside Quentin Lake, but Kinchens played six more snaps than Curl. It’s unclear if that’s because of Curl’s lingering knee injury but it is something to monitor moving forward. Jaylen McCollough played 13 snaps as the fourth safety.

Cobie Durant and Darious Williams are the clear-cut top cornerbacks for the Rams, playing every snap in the loss. Ahkello Witherspoon’s role remains limited as the third cornerback, as the Rams prefer to deploy their safeties in nickel and dime packages instead of an extra corner.

Jared Verse and Byron Young remained the top edge rushers for the Rams with 45 and 43 snaps, respectively. Michael Hoecht’s role isn’t going anywhere, as he played 66% of the snaps, and Brennan Jackson rotated in for three plays.

Along the defensive line, Kobie Turner once again led in snaps played with a 79% share. Surprisingly, Bobby Brown III played more snaps (33) than Braden Fiske (28) did in the loss. Tyler Davis played 17 snaps and Jonah Williams played eight snaps of his own.

Rams rookie Kamren Kinchens named NFC Defensive Player of the Week after 103-yard pick-six

Rams rookie Kamren Kinchens was named the top defender in the NFC for Week 9 after his historic 103-yard pick-six

Kamren Kinchens had himself quite the day on Sunday and he’s earned national recognition for his performance against the Seattle Seahawks. The Los Angeles Rams rookie picked off two passes in the team’s overtime win in Week 9, including a 103-yard pick-six to give the Rams a 20-13 lead in the fourth quarter.

On Wednesday, Kinchens was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week for Week 9, a high honor for the rookie safety out of Miami. Both of his interceptions came in the red zone, not only keeping points off the board for the Seahawks, but putting points up for his own team by returning it for a touchdown.

His 103-yard return was the longest pick-six in Rams history and is also the fourth-longest ever in the NFL. Among rookies, it’s the longest return in the Super Bowl era, which dates back to 1967.

Kinchens has had an up-and-down rookie year thus far, going through some growing pains as a first-year player, but Sunday’s game was unquestionably his best yet in the NFL.

Kinchens is the second Rams player to win Defensive Player of the Week this season, joining Cobie Durant, who won it in Week 7.

Kamren Kinchens with 103-yard pick-six for Rams against Seahawks

Kamren Kinchens with a team record interception return for a Rams touchdown

The Los Angeles Rams gave up a couple of touchdowns late in the first half against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.

Instead of folding, the Rams revved up after the break. They scored 17 straight points bridging the third and fourth quarters to take a 20-13 lead.

The touchdown in the fourth quarter was of the spectacular variety, as in a team record.

Karem Kinchens, who had 11 interceptions over his last two seasons in college at Miami, picked Geno Smith and returned the interceptions 103 yards.

The return was tied for the fourth-longest in league history.

Rams snap counts: LA benches two DBs, Blake Corum rises to RB2

Breaking down the Rams’ snap counts from Sunday’s loss to the Packers, which shows a big shakeup on defense

After starting 1-3 and struggling badly against the pass on defense, the Los Angeles Rams thought it was a good time to shake up the secondary. They made several changes to the defensive backfield on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers, including the decision to bench Tre’Davious White by making him a healthy scratch for the first time in his career.

Offensively, the Rams mostly kept the status quo. However, Blake Corum did take over as the No. 2 running back behind Kyren Williams. He replaced Ronnie Rivers in that role, playing a season-high 11 snaps in the 24-19 loss.

We broke down the snap counts below, starting with the offense.

Offense

After playing the third-most snaps of the Rams’ receivers last week, Demarcus Robinson played most of the game on Sunday, only missing two snaps. Jordan Whittington was a close second with a 92% snap share, and that was with missing the end of the game due to a shoulder injury. Tutu Atwell was WR3 again, with Tyler Johnson (11 snaps) and Xavier Smith (8 snaps) operating as the reserves.

At running back, Kyren Williams played 86% of the snaps, which is about his average for the year. Corum, not Ronnie Rivers, was his backup, with the rookie playing a season-high 11 snaps. He touched the ball six times on those 11 plays, rushing for 25 yards on five carries and catching an 8-yard screen pass.

Colby Parkinson remains the No. 1 tight end, playing 79% of the snaps. Hunter Long played 22% and Davis Allen played 4%, so the Rams did mix in some 12 personnel again on Sunday.

All five starting linemen played the entire game again, which is a good sign for their continuity.

Defense

The defense is where the biggest changes were made by the coaching staff, specifically in the secondary. White was benched after four games of being a starter, sitting this game out as a healthy scratch. In his place, the Rams gave Ahkello Witherspoon a prominent role (81%) and Darious Williams played 49% of the snaps in his season debut. Cobie Durant was a major factor in this game, playing all but three snaps.

Josh Wallace was also given a big opportunity as an undrafted rookie, playing 31 snaps, mostly as the nickel corner in the “star” role. That allowed Quentin Lake to be a more traditional safety, once again playing every snap on defense alongside Kamren Curl.

You’ll notice Kamren Kinchens’ name is missing from the list above and that’s because he was the other defensive back benched by Chris Shula. The rookie had been struggling in place of John Johnson III, so the Rams took him out of the lineup and gave him zero defensive snaps. That opened the door for Jaylen McCollough to play more, getting on the field for 15 snaps, coming up with a key pick-six on one of those plays.

At inside linebacker, it was still Troy Reeder and Christian Rozeboom manning the middle, but Reeder played just 86% of the snaps despite being the signal caller with the green dot. Rozeboom played 71% of the game as the No. 2 linebacker.

Byron Young continues to be the top option at edge rusher, playing 80% of the snaps. Jared Verse and Michael Hoecht were almost an even split, with Verse playing 69% and Hoecht plating 64%. They were the only three edge rushers again.

Kobie Turner played 81% of the snaps as the top defensive lineman, with Braden Fiske being the next-closest player at 51%. Bobby Brown, Neville Gallimore and Tyler Davis continue to rotate along the front, with Jonah Williams playing one snap in his debut with the team.