Tag: lance mccutcheon

Watch: Rookie Lance McCutcheon makes twisting one-handed grab in practice

Lance McCutcheon won’t stop making plays, coming down with this twisting one-handed catch in practice

Rookie receiver Lance McCutcheon was the star of the preseason opener for the Los Angeles Rams, recording five catches for 87 yards and two touchdowns. Both of his touchdown catches were impressive, too, one going for 60 yards and the other coming on a jump ball in the end zone.

When the Rams returned to practice on Monday, McCutcheon picked up right where he left off by making another highlight-reel catch. It came in a one-on-one red zone drill against Caesar Dancy-Williams, with McCutcheon making a twisting one-handed grab in the corner of the end zone.

He made it look easy, catching the back-shoulder throw with one hand.

If McCutcheon keeps making plays like this in practice and the preseason, he’ll have a great chance to stick around on the 53-man roster. Sean McVay already said it’s “very realistic” he could make it, even if the Rams are deep at receiver ahead of him.

Lance McCutcheon has a ‘very realistic’ chance to make Rams’ 53-man roster

Lance McCutcheon shined in his preseason debut, and Sean McVay certainly won’t rule out keeping him on the 53-man roster

No Rams player stood out more in the preseason opener than Lance McCutcheon. The undrafted rookie receiver dominated on offense, catching five of his six targets for 87 yards and two touchdowns – including the game-winner to beat the Chargers.

The biggest play of the game by either side was McCutcheon’s 60-yard touchdown reception from Bryce Perkins. It wasn’t an easy catch, going up and over the defender to make the grab and then shake off the tackler down the sideline.

McCutcheon hasn’t done it against starting cornerbacks, but he couldn’t have started much better than he did on Saturday night. The Rams’ top five receivers are essentially set, and you can make it six if you include Brandon Powell, but Sean McVay isn’t ruling out the possibility of keeping McCutcheon as No. 7.

He’s not putting a cap on the number of receivers the Rams keep, though they’re aiming for a number between six and eight. And McCutcheon has a realistic chance to be one of them.

“I think certainly,” he said of whether McCutcheon has a shot to make the team. “A lot of that is predicated on, you look at the 53, but I’m really interested in the 48. How do these guys get up on game day and that’s a big part of it to be able to help Joe D and Jeremy Springer? Especially when you send your starting 11 out, whether it’s in 12 personnel, 11 personnel, if you’re not on the field, for you to have a jersey and dress with the 48, you better be willing to help on special teams. That all weighs into it. If you said anywhere between six and eight, but ideally, you’re saying you’ve got five guys up and sometimes we used to carry six because Mike Thomas was such a unique contributor on special teams. There’s a lot of layers to it.”

McVay continued by saying once again that McCutcheon could make the team, especially given his ability on special teams. That’s an important trait for players on the back end of the roster, needing to contribute to Joe DeCamillis’ unit.

“I would say yes, he’s a very realistic candidate to make this roster,” McVay continued. “But in a lot of instances, you think about not necessarily the 53 but the 48, knowing that’s a moving target with injuries. But I would say between six and eight you’re talking about, but it’s not a finite deal and every year would provide a different answer based on who’s helping Joe D and what are those body types like outside of the clear-cut starters.”

McCutcheon will get a shot to keep things going on Friday night against the Texans, which is the Rams’ second preseason game of the year. After that, they’ll trim down to 80 players by Aug. 23 before final cuts on Aug. 30.

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Sean McVay and the Rams saw Lance McCutcheon’s preseason breakout coming

Lance McCutcheon put together a stellar performance in the Rams’ preseason opener, but the team isn’t surprised one bit.

Lance McCutcheon stole the show in his preseason debut with the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday night versus the Los Angeles Chargers. He caught five passes for 87 yards with two touchdowns, including the game-winner from Bryce Perkins in the fourth quarter.

While fans and analysts were surprised to see McCutcheon shine in the preseason opener, Sean McVay and the Rams weren’t shocked by his performance. They saw it coming, and he didn’t let them down.

“He deserved it and it’s a real credit to Liam (Coen), coach Yarber, and coach Olson. They did a great job being able to put him in those spots and he delivered,” McVay said after the win. “But I’ll tell you this. I remember early on in the offseason program, there are certain young guys that have that right look in their eye where you can see they are mature beyond their years. I remember Greg Olson being around him and he said, ‘You watch, this guy’s going to have a really good preseason and I bet you he makes a lot of plays,’ and that was prophetic and I said that to Olson during the game. I remember when you were around this guy for only a couple of days and you kind of saw this coming. He’s just got one of those demeanors where you say this guy is going to figure it out.”

Making plays is exactly what McCutcheon did on Saturday. His first touchdown will be played on highlight reels for a few days, coming up with a 60-yard bomb over one defender and shaking off a tackle from two Chargers.

McCutcheon’s second receiving touchdown was an impressive contested catch he made while having a defender draped over him, which ended up being the final score of the game.

McCutcheon signed with the Rams as an undrafted free agent earlier this offseason out of Montana State. He would join a loaded wide receiver room that is led by Cooper Kupp, Allen Robinson, and Van Jefferson, so making a name for himself was going to be difficult.

Undrafted free agents always have an uphill climb when it comes to securing a roster spot in the NFL. But with the Rams needing depth at the wide receiver position, and the coaching staff praising him for his efforts this offseason, McCutcheon is certainly making a case to remain a member of the reigning Super Bowl champions entering the regular season.

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8 takeaways from Chargers’ preseason loss to Rams

Highlighting important storylines in the Chargers’ loss to the Rams in the preseason opener.

The Chargers’ first preseason game is officially in the books, as they fell to the Rams on Saturday night.

While most starters sat, this contest was about the players vying for some of the starting spots open and a spot on the 53-man roster.

There was plenty to take away from So-Fi Stadium, and with that, let’s dive into some things that stood out from the Bolts’ 29-22 loss to the Rams.

Rams have another FCS gem in undrafted Lance McCutcheon

It is too soon to think Lance McCutcheon could be the next Cooper Kupp but Rams fans can dream

The Los Angeles Rams know FCS wide receiver talent. They drafted Cooper Kupp out of Eastern Washington in the third round in 2017.

And in their opening game of the 2022 preseason Saturday against the Los Angeles Chargers they may have found another gem.

Lance McCutcheon, an undrafted free agent from Montana State, caught two touchdown passes and a 2-point conversion in the 29-22 win over the Bolts.

So, who is this Lance McCutcheon, he of the 5 catches for 87 yards in his NFL debut?

McCutcheon played college ball at Montana State. The 6-foot-3, 202-pounder had 94 catches for 1,741 yards and 13 touchdowns as a Bobcat.

McCutcheon had five 100-yard receiving games in 2021.

He was First Team All-Big Sky last year, averaging 81.3 yards per game off 1,219 yards and 19.3 yards per catch,  leading the league.

What he isn’t is related to former great Rams RB Lawrence McCutcheon.

McCutcheon spoke to Montanasports.com about being in the same wide receivers room as 2021 receiving Triple Crown winner and Super Bowl MVP Kupp.

“You know, I’m sitting in the back and I’m looking around,” he said. “I’ve got Cooper [Kupp] in front of me, Matthew Stafford in the front row. The first two days I was a little star-struck. It was a little surreal for me, but we got good with it. Now they’re just my teammates.”

McCutcheon said Kupp has been incredibly supportive.

“Since day one, Cooper has been awesome,” McCutcheon told Montanasports.com. “The first day he came and introduced himself to me and said, ‘If you ever have any questions or anything just let me know I’m always here to help you,’ and he helped me every single day whether it was with the plays or the routes.”

The Rams have Kupp, Van Jefferson, and free-agent signee Allen Robinson among others in the WR room. The specter of another free agent, Odell Beckham Jr., looms.

After his performance against the Chargers, McCutcheon has made a statement that he belongs among the group when the regular season starts.

The highlight reel:

 

Watch: Lance McCutcheon wins jump ball for 2nd TD in preseason debut

Lance McCutcheon introduced himself to the world with a 2-touchdown night in his preseason debut

Welcome to the NFL, Lance McCutcheon.

While the undrafted rookie isn’t on a regular-season roster yet, he introduced himself to the world with a spectacular debut in the Rams’ preseason opener. McCutcheon caught a 60-yard touchdown pass in the first half, one of the best catches of the preseason so far.

But he wasn’t done there. Later on, he came down with an 11-yard score on a jump ball from Bryce Perkins, simply boxing out the defender and using his big frame to make the catch. The touchdown put the Rams up 29-22 with 6:11 left in the game, continuing the rookie’s huge night at SoFi Stadium.

Watch: Lance McCutcheon makes spectacular leaping catch on 60-yard TD

Lance McCutcheon mossed a Chargers defender on this 60-yard touchdown catch đŸ’Ș

It’s very early, but it’ll be tough for any Rams player to top this catch by rookie Lance McCutcheon for the play of the preseason. During the second quarter of the Rams’ preseason opener against the Chargers, Bryce Perkins chucked it deep to McCutcheon, who was covered by a defender.

But he went up and made a spectacular leaping catch over the cornerback, and then broke a two-man tackle to clear a path to the end zone for a 60-yard touchdown.

It might be the play of the preseason anywhere in the NFL so far.