Tag: Los Angeles Rams

NFL Week 14 power rankings: Where do Rams rank after beating Saints?

The Rams are the definition of an average team based on the latest power rankings

The roller coaster ride of the Rams’ 2024 season continued on Sunday when the team came back to beat the New Orleans Saints on the road, 21-14. It was a much-needed bounce-back win after getting steamrolled by the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 13, getting things on track again before the final stretch of the regular season.

The Rams haven’t been viewed as a top-10 team at any point this season but they did sink pretty low after their 1-4 start. They’ve clawed their way up the NFC standings and power rankings, giving themselves a realistic chance of making the playoffs come January.

After beating the Saints on the road, the Rams moved up a bit in this week’s power rankings and they now sit smack dab in the middle of the league.

USA Today: 18th (last week: 18th)

ESPN: 16th (last week: 19th)

NFL.com: 16th (last week: 19th)

CBS Sports: 17th (last week: 20th)

Bleacher Report: 16th (last week: 18th)

ProFootballTalk: 16th (last week: 19th)

Yahoo Sports: 16th (last week: 20th)

The Athletic: 16th (last week: 19th)

FOX Sports: 17th (last week: 21st)

The Ringer: 20th (last week: 21st)

High: 16th – Low: 20th – Average: 16.8

The Rams’ average ranking improved from 19.2 to 16.8 this week, with most outlets moving them up at least two or three spots after their win over the Saints.

The Ringer, which was higher on the Rams than most outlets earlier in the season, is suddenly the lowest on them by ranking Los Angeles 20th. Yahoo Sports moved the Rams up four spots, as did FOX Sports, which were the two biggest jumps.

Heading into Week 14, the Rams face a Bills team that’s widely ranked in the top five, if not the top three. There’s no denying Buffalo is one of the best teams in the NFL right now, but that just means the Rams can make a huge statement if they beat the Bills on Sunday afternoon.

Here’s what Sean McVay said about the Rams claiming Emmanuel Forbes

Emmanuel Forbes’ ball skills, versatility and competitive toughness stood out to Sean McVay when watching his tape

It’s rare for a first-round pick to be released less than two years after being drafted but that’s exactly the situation Emmanuel Forbes found himself in on Saturday. The Washington Commanders waived the second-year cornerback 19 months after drafting him with the 16th overall pick and the Los Angeles Rams pounced on the opportunity to add him to their secondary.

The Rams claimed him off waivers, giving the struggling cornerback a shot in Los Angeles. Forbes probably won’t contribute right away but he could have a future with the Rams, especially considering he’s signed through the 2026 season.

Sean McVay commented on the Rams’ decision to claim Forbes during his media session Monday, sharing what he likes about the young cornerback’s game.

“(He’s) a player that we liked as part of the evaluation process coming out a couple of years ago out of Mississippi State,” McVay said. “He had a lot of ball production and had some good tape out there, even when we played them last year. He showed versatility, showed competitive toughness on the edge, and good ball skills. A guy that I don’t know too much about personally, but Kam Curl was excited to be able to reunite with him. We’ll get him in here and get him acclimated to the building, but he was a guy that we liked and had a familiarity with just based on the evaluation coming out of Mississippi State and then I thought there was some good tape that he’s put out there when we’ve gone against him, particularly later in the year last year.”

During his appearance on the “Coach McVay Show” after his press conference, McVay talked further about what Forbes brings to the table as a corner. Once again, he talked about his toughness, mentioning his willingness to help in run support – something the Rams put a lot of value in.

“A guy that can come up and play press,” McVay said. “I think he’s got the ability to be able to play visually. He’s tough. He’s a leaner build but he’s showed some competitive toughness if he’s asked to come up in run support. We played against him last year when we played Washington later on in the season and I thought he had some good tape.”

In the Rams 28-20 win over the Commanders last season, Forbes only played six snaps. He wasn’t targeted and didn’t allow a catch, so it’s not as if he put much tape in that game.

There are obvious weaknesses in Forbes’ game, including his tackling (he missed 46.2% of the time this season) and physicality as a slimmer cornerback. However, the Rams clearly think they can turn him into an impactful player in the secondary and it’s not as if they’re risking much by bringing him in.

Only one Rams player is in the top 10 at his position in Pro Bowl voting

Is Braden Fiske on track to be a Pro Bowler in his first NFL season?

The NFL released its first update on Pro Bowl voting after one week of polls being open and the Los Angeles Rams were not well-represented. Not a single Rams player leads his position group in fan votes, which isn’t exactly surprising considering the up-and-down season Los Angeles has had thus far.

What’s more shocking is that only one player ranks in the top 10 at his position: rookie Braden Fiske. He has the fifth-most fan votes among all defensive tackles in the NFL, behind only Dexter Lawrence, Vita Vea, Quinnen Williams and Cameron Heyward. All four of them have already been Pro Bowlers, so Fiske is in great company.

Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp were outside the top 10 at wide receiver, likely due to their injury absences, and Kyren Williams didn’t crack the top 10 at running back despite being fifth in rushing yards and eighth in rushing touchdowns.

Jared Verse has work to do at edge rusher, as do Kevin Dotson at guard and Matthew Stafford at quarterback. Those are the Rams’ strongest candidates to get voted into the Pro Bowl if they continue to play well down the stretch.

Fan voting remains open until Dec. 23, so there’s still time for Rams players to inch up the board. Players and coaches will also vote for their Pro Bowl picks, making up the other two-thirds of the voting process.

Contract details and salary cap impact of Rams claiming Emmanuel Forbes

Here’s how claiming Emmanuel Forbes impacts the Rams’ salary cap this year and in the next two seasons

Needing help at cornerback, the Los Angeles Rams took a chance on Emmanuel Forbes when they claimed him off waivers on Monday. Forbes, the 16th overall pick in the 2023 draft, was waived by the Washington Commanders this weekend after less than two seasons but the Rams see some potential in him despite his struggles up to this point.

Forbes wasn’t a free agent so he couldn’t pick his next team, and because he was claimed off waivers, he’ll keep his current contract as a member of the Rams. That means Los Angeles takes on the remainder of his rookie deal signed with the Commanders, which runs through the 2026 season.

The salary cap impact is minimal this year but Forbes still has $5.4 million fully guaranteed on his deal through 2026. Below are the full details of Forbes’ remaining contract with the Rams, including his base salaries and cap hits for the next two years (via Over The Cap).

One of the benefits that comes with claiming Forbes is the fifth-year option. As a first-round pick, Forbes has a fifth-year option built into his rookie contract, which gives the Rams an extra year of control if they want to keep him on the team in 2027.

They’ll have to exercise that option before the 2026 season, and the cost will be significantly higher than his current salary. Assuming he doesn’t make a Pro Bowl or earn playtime bonuses, his fifth-year option will be an average of the third to 25th-highest salaries among cornerbacks in 2027.

That might be too expensive for the Rams’ liking but if he plays well in Los Angeles, it’ll be worth considering.

Sean McVay was surprised Rams landed Emmanuel Forbes: ‘I didn’t actually think we’d get him’

Sean McVay was pleasantly surprised no teams ahead of the Rams claimed Emmanuel Forbes off waivers

The Los Angeles Rams made a small splash on Monday when they claimed former first-round cornerback Emmanuel Forbes off waivers. The Washington Commanders surprisingly cut ties with Forbes on Saturday after just a year and a half, sending him to the waiver wire for any of the other 31 teams to claim him.

To the surprise of Sean McVay, the Rams managed to land the second-year cornerback out of Mississippi State.

That’s right. McVay didn’t think the Rams would actually be able to get him based on the fact that they were 16th in the waiver order. Any of the 15 teams ahead of them could’ve claimed Forbes, but they passed on the 23-year-old and let him fall all the way to the Rams.

“This is a reflection of very rarely do some guys that (are) recent evals that are high-ranked come available,” McVay said on the “Coach McVay Show” a few hours after the Rams claimed Forbes. “I didn’t actually think we’d get him because of where we’re at in the claim order, so we were pleased that we were able to get him. We’ll add him to the mix, we’ll get to know him and we’ll see where he fits. But that was kind of a simple thing that came to fruition.”

It’s unclear if any of the 16 teams behind the Rams in the waiver order tried to claim Forbes, but we do know none of the 15 ahead of them put in a claim for the FBS’ all-time leader in pick-sixes.

There’s no denying the fact that Forbes struggled in Washington and quickly fell out of favor in the secondary, but the Rams now have him under contract through 2026 with the possibility of exercising his fifth-year option in 2027 if he plays well enough.

It’s a low-risk, high-reward addition for a Rams team that badly needs cornerback help in the years to come.

Former Commanders 1st-round pick Emmanuel Forbes has a new home

Emmanuel Forbes has a new home.

It didn’t take Emmanuel Forbes long to find a new home. On Saturday, the Washington Commanders released the No. 16 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft. On Monday, Los Angeles head coach Sean McVay revealed the Rams had claimed Forbes.

“He was a guy that we liked and had a familiarity with just based on the evaluation coming out of Mississippi State,” McVay said via Sarah Barshop of ESPN. “And then I thought there was some good tape that he’s put out there when we’ve gone against them, particularly later in the year last year.”

The Commanders played the Rams last year, but Forbes only played six snaps in that game. Forbes struggled badly as a rookie, was benched twice, but received a fresh start with Washington’s new coaching staff.

Head coach Dan Quinn and defensive coordinator Joe Whit Jr. praised Forbes this past offseason. However, it didn’t take long for the new regime to also sour on Forbes. Forbes played a season-high 35 defensive snaps in Week 1 vs. Tampa Bay. He again struggled, which was concerning after a shaky training camp and preseason.

Forbes missed Washington’s next two games with a thumb injury, returning in Week 4. He played in 33 snaps in Week 4 against the Cardinals, but over the next eight games, Forbes played a total of 41 defensive snaps. He did not play in three of his final four games in Washington after it appeared veteran Michael Davis passed him on the depth chart.

Last month’s trade for cornerback Marshon Lattimore sealed Forbes’ fate. While Lattimore has yet to make his Washington debut, he’s getting closer to a return and is expected to play against his old team when the Commanders return from a bye in Week 15.

What does the future of the Rams’ offensive line look like?

Despite spending over $90 million on offensive linemen this offseason, there are questions about the future of that group for the Rams

The Los Angeles Rams’ offensive line has been a point of pride for the franchise throughout its entire history. Hall of Famers Orlando Pace, Jackie Slater, Bob Brown, Tom Mack, and potential future Hall of Famer Andrew Whitworth have preserved a longstanding tradition of dominance along the line of scrimmage.

But the state of the Rams’ offensive line in 2024 is a far cry from the days of old. Resting in a state of uncertainty and inconsistent play, the future for the five men up front remains bleak.

Tackles Alaric Jackson and Rob Havenstein have held up strong but Jackson is in a contract year and Havenstein will be 33 years old at the start of next season, the last year on his deal. Both men may have different futures in football but they share the same cloudiness when it comes to who they will play for next season.

The problem is that the Rams can not afford to lose either of them. The Rams’ offensive line is even more brittle than they already are when either of them misses time and the capital it will take to replace them would be more than it would take to renew their deals. A replacement may also yield poor results.

So both Jackson’s and Havenstein’s agents have serious leverage in contract negotiations, which could leave a dent in the team’s wallet. However, the situation with the tackles is a cakewalk compared to the mess on the interior offensive line.

The Rams signed Jonah Jackson to a three-year, $51 million deal in free agency this offseason. They also re-signed Kevin Dotson to a three-year, $48 million extension. Steve Avila is on a four-year rookie deal worth about $9.2 million and Beaux Limmer is on a four-year rookie deal worth about $4.1 million. All four men are under contract until at least the end of the 2026 season.

That’s over $110 million committed to an interior offensive line unit that has contributed to an extensive display of poor pass protection. With pressure primarily coming from the inside, the Rams have given up 25 quarterback hits in the past four games.

So that begs the question: What is the solution? There really isn’t one. When the Rams signed Jonah Jackson, the thought was that Avila would move to center. Avila played the position at several points during his collegiate career so the move in theory would be simple. It wasn’t. It was a failure and through injuries, Beaux Limmer became the starter.

Limmer is a rookie and plays like one. Yes, Limmer has shown good potential and has thrived in the run game but he recorded a 5.2 pass-blocking grade from PFF on Sunday. That’s out of 100. To bench Limmer now,  however, would ruin his development but keeping him in means exposing Matthew Stafford to even more damaging punishment.

The bigger question is that out of Avila, Dotson and Jonah Jackson, who will be the odd man out when all three are healthy? Currently, it’s Jackson but he’s the most expensive player out of three. Plus, he was promised the guard job when he signed.

But for Avila, if he gets benched, he would be within his rights to request a trade. He’s in the second year of his rookie deal and if he wants to see a big second contract, he’ll need playing time. Plus, he was drafted to be a guard, the position he was a first-team All-Big 12 selection and PFWA All-Rookie Team selection at.

Financially, the answer is to cut Dotson. He and Jackson have similar deals, Dotson is a bit older and he would save the Rams a little over $12 million in cap space. The problem is that cutting Dotson would be one of the worst football decisions of GM Les Snead’s career. Dotson is playing at an All-Pro level, he’s started in every game since week three of the 2023 season and he’s on a very short list of players that the team can not touch. So that begs the question, what do the Rams do?

They could cut Jackson as he offers similar cap relief but that would also mean letting go of a Pro Bowl-caliber player and admitting that his signing was a failure. They could trade Avila but that would mean getting rid of a burgeoning star in the prime of his career while on a cheap contract. The other choice is to bench Limmer. If done, benching Limmer would severely damage the development of a player who has a 50-50 shot of being the centerpiece of the offensive line for the next decade.

If the team doesn’t make a move, they’ll be on the hook for a ton of money, while also having to negotiate potential deals for Havenstein, Alaric Jackson and/or their replacements.

A tough decision lies before Snead but inaction could lead to growing resentment in the locker room and the last thing this offensive line needs is another reason to not be on the same page.

Matthew Stafford suffered ankle sprain vs. Saints but is not expected to miss time

Matthew Stafford sprained his ankle on Sunday but Sean McVay doesn’t expect it to affect the veteran QB

Matthew Stafford has been hit a lot this season and it seems the wear and tear has caught up with the 36-year-old Iron Man. Sean McVay told reporters on Monday that Stafford suffered a lateral ankle sprain in the teams’ victory over New Orleans on Sunday.

Stafford’s standard week of preparation will not be affected as the Rams are set to host the red-hot Buffalo Bills at SoFi Stadium in a rematch of the 2022 NFL season opener.

As of writing, Stafford will be a full go for the game but his injury and how it affects his mobility will be something to keep an eye on. The Rams have surrendered 25 QB hits in their last four games.

The last time the Bills played in a domed environment, their defense put up six QB hits, four sacks, and forced four turnovers in a 30-20 win over a Joe Flacco-led Colts team.

The Bills are coming off a 35-10 thrashing in the snow against the 49ers on Sunday night. Buffalo is 3-0 against the NFC West this season as they defeated Arizona 34-28 in the season opener and won 31-10 at Seattle in Week 8.

Sean McVay shares update on Tyler Higbee’s status for Week 14 vs. Bills

Rams TE Tyler Higbee may have to wait a bit longer to make his 2024 debut

Tyler Higbee returned to practice for the first time last week since tearing his ACL and MCL in January, but it was never realistic that he’d be active in Sunday’s game after such little practice time.

There was hope that he could return for Week 14 against the Buffalo Bills but Sean McVay’s update on Monday threw cold water on that idea. McVay said that while Higbee has exceeded everyone’s expectations in his rehab and recovery from a significant knee injury, he most likely won’t be ready to go this week, either.

McVay once again used the phrase “less likely than likely” that he plays on Sunday, indicating that the Rams will probably be without him for at least another week.

Higbee has been on the PUP list since the start of training camp and though he can be activated at any time, the Rams want to take it slow with their veteran tight end.

With Colby Parkinson, Hunter Long and Davis Allen all healthy and contributing, they don’t want to rush Higbee back before he’s fully ready.

Rams claim former 1st-round CB Emmanuel Forbes off waivers

The Rams are taking a shot on former first-round cornerback Emmanuel Forbes after he was waived by the Commanders

The Los Angeles Rams have never been afraid to take a shot on a player who fell out of favor elsewhere and they’re doing so again this season. On Monday, the Rams claimed former Commanders cornerback Emmanuel Forbes off waivers. Washington surprisingly cut the 2023 first-round pick on Saturday and the Rams are giving him a fresh start in Los Angeles.

Forbes was the 16th overall pick in the 2023 draft out of Mississippi State but he struggled in his year and a half with the Commanders. He’s played in 20 games and made just seven starts, allowing 46 receptions on 69 targets in the last two seasons, according to Pro Football Focus.

By claiming him off waivers, the Rams take on the remainder of his contract, which comes with an average annual salary of $3.85 million per year. His rookie deal runs through 2026, with a fifth-year option in 2027 if the Rams want to pick it up.

The Rams could use help at cornerback behind Cobie Durant and Darious Williams, who were the only two corners to play multiple snaps in Sunday’s win over the Saints.

They do have Ahkello Witherspoon, Josh Wallace and Charles Woods on the depth chart, so Forbes will be competing with them for playing time the rest of the season.