Tag: Los Angeles Rams

Watch highlights of Tyler Davis, the Rams’ new run-stuffing DT

Tyler Davis joins the Rams as a sixth-round rookie after dominating along the defensive line at Clemson.

The Los Angeles Rams had one of the smallest defensive lines in football last season, boasting just one player over 300 pounds. There was a clear effort to improve up front in the draft this year, especially after Aaron Donald retired.

After selecting Braden Fiske in Round 2, the Rams then added Clemson’s Tyler Davis in the sixth round at No. 196 overall. Davis is more of a run-stuffer than he is a pass rusher, but that’s not a problem because he’s darn good at wrapping up ball carriers and stopping them at the line of scrimmage.

Davis was one of the best run defenders in college football last season, recording a 90.8 run defense grade from Pro Football Focus – fourth-best among all defensive tackles. To get a sense of just how good Davis is up front, take a look at some of his highlights from Clemson.

Rams add veteran Boston Scott to loaded running back room

The Rams are adding Boston Scott at running back, giving them a veteran presence in that position group

If the 1-2 punch of Kyren Williams and Blake Corum wasn’t enough to excite Rams fans, NFL veteran Boston Scott is the latest addition to the running back room in LA.

The Rams are signing Scott to a one-year deal, according to Adam Schefter.

Originally drafted by New Orleans, he eventually found his way to Philadelphia during his rookie year and has spent the last six seasons with the Eagles.

A rotational back for majority of his career, Scott saw limited opportunities last season due to the Eagles’ usage of D’Andre Swift and Kenneth Gainwell. However, Scott has contributed in variety of ways, serving the team as a player and locker room leader.

For a team like the Rams who suffered several injuries in the running back room over the past three seasons, including stints on IR by Williams, Ronnie Rivers and Cam Akers, Scott is a presence that will be felt in more ways than one.

Scott’s ability to get needed yards, along with his skills as a pass protector will gift him playing time but his true value will come in the mentorship and insight a veteran like him provides to a young running back room.

Scott turned 29 in April and with only 302 career rushing attempts, there’s still a lot of tread left on his tires.

Former Eagles RB Boston Scott agrees to a 1-year deal with Rams

Former Philadelphia Eagles running back Boston Scott is signing a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Rams

The Boston Scott era is officially over in Philadelphia, as the talented but smallish running back is signing a one-year deal to join the Los Angeles Rams.

Scott had been a nice underdog story, but he saw his role diminish even more for the Eagles this season, finishing with 20 carries for 86 yards and adding four catches for 52 yards through the air over 15 regular-season games.

Scott failed to reach the end zone for the first time since his two-game debut in 2018. Scott will now compete for a role in the Rams’ backfield, which has Kyren Williams as their returning leading rusher, along with former Michigan star Blake Corum and others.

Rams’ 2024 draft class ranked 9th-best in NFL based on 20 expert grades

Based on grades handed out by 20 NFL experts, the Rams’ 2024 draft class ranked 9th best in the league with a GPA of 3.36

The Los Angeles Rams were very intentional and sensible with their picks in the 2024 NFL draft, targeting experienced players at positions of need who have a great chance to contribute early on. Beginning with Jared Verse at No. 19, the Rams quickly showed they planned to fortify the trenches, doing so three more times by drafting DT Braden Fiske in Round 2 and interior offensive linemen Beaux Limmer and KT Leveston on Day 3.

The Rams resisted the urge to draft a wide receiver with their first few picks, or to select a quarterback who might be able to replace Matthew Stafford eventually, which helped them land pass rushers and defensive linemen who will help sooner rather than later.

The majority of experts liked what the Rams came away with in the draft, as evidenced by the collection of grades they received. Rene Bugner compiled 20 draft grades from various outlets and assigned each team a GPA based on the letter grades they got. The Rams had a 3.36 GPA, which ranked as the ninth-best class in the NFL.

The Rams only received three grades lower than a B, which is impressive. Charles McDonald of Yahoo Sports gave them a B-, as did Mark Maske of the Washington Post. Thomas Psaier of Sideliner reported gave the Rams their lowest grade, a C, but he was also the harshest grader of the bunch.

We won’t know how successful a draft class is until a few years down the line, but the Rams appear to have landed some early contributors and future starters.

Matthew Stafford not skipping Rams OTAs despite contract request

Matthew Stafford wants more guaranteed money on his contract, but he’s not holding out. He’s participating in Rams OTAs.

A report emerged during the NFL draft that Matthew Stafford is seeking more guaranteed money on his contract beyond the 2024 season, an indication that he wants to continue playing for a few more years. Sean McVay confirmed the Rams and Stafford have had some talks about his contract, though there’s seemingly been no resolution yet.

McVay was asked whether Stafford would attend OTAs amid this request for more money, but he was uncertain and said “we’ll see.”

Well, on Monday, the Rams saw. They saw their quarterback on the field in a red jersey participating in OTAs for the first time. Stafford isn’t skipping these voluntary workouts, which suggests he doesn’t plan to hold out until his contract is adjusted.

The Rams are going to have a lot of new faces on the team this year, including tight end Colby Parkinson, wide receiver Jordan Whittington, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, guard Jonah Jackson and running back Blake Corum, among others.

Stafford would probably like to develop a rapport with them sooner rather than later, so it’s good to see him attending workouts despite them being voluntary.

Jordan Whittington can’t wait to learn from ‘professor’ Cooper Kupp

“I’m a student of the game, and Cooper Kupp I feel like is a professor”

Puka Nacua probably wouldn’t have put up the huge numbers that he did during his rookie year if not for the fact that he had Cooper Kupp in his corner as a mentor in the Rams’ wide receiver room. There’s no question he put in a ton of work himself, but Nacua has talked endlessly about the value of learning from Kupp in his rookie season.

Jordan Whittington is now the next rookie wideout to step into the Rams’ receiver room with the chance to learn from not only Kupp, but also Nacua. And he can’t wait.

After being drafted by the Rams in the sixth round, Whittington said he’s excited to learn what Kupp, “a professor,” has to teach him.

“I’m a student of the game, and Cooper Kupp I feel like is a professor,” Whittington said. “So I want to get to that level.”

Like Kupp and Nacua, Whittington isn’t a rare athlete with great measurables. He’s 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds, but we don’t know exactly how fast or explosive he is because he didn’t test at the combine (hamstring).

Where he makes up for anything he lacks in athleticism is with his football intelligence and work ethic. Everything the Rams heard about Whittington leading up to the draft was that he’s a complete team player and leader in the locker room. He was a team captain for the Sugar Bowl, too, which shows how highly coach Steve Sarkisian thought of him.

For those reasons, he’s going to fit in just fine in the Rams’ receiver room alongside Kupp and Nacua.

Projecting Rams’ depth chart after 2024 NFL draft: How many rookie starters?

With the 2024 NFL draft in the books, we’re projecting what the Rams’ depth chart might look like

Over the course of the next few weeks and months, the Los Angeles Rams will begin onboarding their rookies and getting them ready for Year 1 in the NFL. They added 10 total players in the draft and while some of them have a chance to start, there’s no guarantee any of them will be atop the depth chart come Week 1.

With an already talented roster, the Rams’ veterans will try to hold off the young guns in training camp. That could be difficult at certain positions, though, as Jared Verse, Braden Fiske and Kamren Kinchens all look like early contributors on defense.

Excluding undrafted rookies, below is a projection of what the Rams’ depth chart could look like. There are three rookie starters, all on defense, and four backups on offense who could see time in the event of an injury – or in Blake Corum’s case, when spelling Kyren Williams.

A lot will change between now and September, but here’s how we see the depth chart as of this moment. (Note: rookies are italicized)

Offense

1st 2nd 3rd 4th
QB Matthew Stafford Jimmy Garoppolo Stetson Bennett Dresser Winn
RB Kyren Williams Blake Corum Ronnie Rivers Zach Evans
WR1 Cooper Kupp Tutu Atwell Tyler Johnson
WR2 Puka Nacua Ben Skowronek Xavier Smith
WR3 Demarcus Robinson Jordan Whittington
TE Colby Parkinson/Tyler Higbee Davis Allen Hunter Long Nikola Kalinic/Miller Forristall
LT Alaric Jackson Joe Noteboom A.J. Arcuri
LG Jonah Jackson KT Leveston Zach Thomas
C Steve Avila Beaux Limmer Mike McAllister
RG Kevin Dotson Joe Noteboom Grant Miller
RT Rob Havenstein Warren McClendon Jr. Logan Bruss

Defense

1st 2nd 3rd 4th
DE Braden Fiske Desjuan Johnson
NT Bobby Brown III Tyler Davis Cory Durden
DT Kobie Turner Larrell Murchison
OLB Jared Verse Michael Hoecht Ochaun Mathis Zach VanValkenburg
ILB Ernest Jones Troy Reeder Olakunle Fatukasi
ILB Christian Rozeboom Jake Hummel
OLB Byron Young Nick Hampton Brennan Jackson Keir Thomas
CB Darious Williams Cobie Durant Tre Tomlinson
S Kamren Kinchens Russ Yeast Tanner Ingle
S Kamren Curl Jason Taylor II
NB Quentin Lake Shaun Jolly
CB Tre’Davious White Derion Kendrick Cameron McCutcheon

Special teams

1st 2nd
K Joshua Karty Tanner Brown
P Ethan Evans
LS Alex Ward
KR Blake Corum
PR Tutu Atwell

 

Jared Verse compares favorably to Myles Garrett when it comes to speed and power

Jared Verse tested well at the combine, with his combination of speed, strength and length comparing favorably to Myles Garrett

Sean McVay said after the draft that he did not expect Jared Verse to be available when the Rams were slated to pick at No. 19. Fortunately, the first 14 picks were all offensive players, so that pushed Verse down the board and into Los Angeles’ lap.

He was one of the three best edge rushers in the 2024 class, bringing a ready-made skill set to the NFL that should allow him to contribute right away. He has an impressive combination of size, speed, length and power as a pass rusher, which also helps him set the edge and engulf ball carriers in the run game.

Based on his combine testing and measurements, he compares favorably to former No. 1 overall pick and 2023 Defensive Player of the Year, Myles Garrett. NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah pointed out back in March that Verse and Garrett are the only two players in the last 10 years to run a 4.64 or faster in the 40 with at least 33-inch arms and 30-plus reps on the bench press.

Verse actually edged out Garrett in the 40, running a 4.58 compared to Myles’ 4.64.

It’s not a perfect one-for-one comparison because Garrett is 5/8ths of an inch taller and 18 pounds heavier, but their testing numbers were extremely close. Verse had two fewer bench press reps but was faster in the 40 with better 10- and 20-yard splits. Garrett had an eye-popping 41-inch vertical compared to Verse’s still-impressive 35-inch jump, while Garrett also beat out Verse’s broad jump by 1 inch.

Here’s a side-by-side comparison using their Relative Athletic Scores.

None of this is to say the Rams got the next Myles Garrett, but Verse is a terrific athlete with a rare combination of speed, length and power on the edge.

All of that is very evident when watching his tape, too.

How much cap space will Rams need to sign 2024 draft class?

The Rams will need less cap space than you think in order to sign their 2024 draft class

The Los Angeles Rams began the draft with 11 draft picks but they finished with “only” 10 selections after trading up for Braden Fiske in Round 2. That was still one of the biggest hauls of any team, and with a first-round pick this year, the Rams’ 2024 class will cost more than most of their previous draft classes.

That doesn’t mean they need a huge amount of cap space in order to sign their 10 rookies, however.

Over The Cap lays out the amount of cap space each team needs in order to sign their draft class and the Rams rank 14th in terms of required cap space. According to Over The Cap, the Rams only need $3.6 million in cap space to get their class under contract.

That differs from the total cost in cap dollars, which is actually $11.55 million – seventh-highest in the NFL. There’s a wide gap between those two figures because rookies will be replacing players already counting against the cap, assuming their cap hits are larger than the ones of the players they’re replacing.

For example, Jared Verse’s 2024 cap hit is estimated to be $2.75 million, which would bump Alex Ward ($916,666) from the top-51 cutoff. Therefore, it’s a difference of only $1.59 million when it comes to cap space required to sign Verse.

Only four of the Rams’ 10 draft picks will have 2024 cap hits higher than players already on the roster. After Kamren Kinchens, the other six players will have lower cap hits, all below $900,000.

Currently, the Rams have $11.48 million in cap space, so they have plenty of room to get their class signed. After accounting for the rookies, they’ll have about $7.88 million available to spend on free agents the rest of the year.

McVay: Rams were willing to do ‘whatever we can’ to trade up for Braden Fiske

After Round 1, the Rams identified Braden Fiske as a player they were willing to do whatever they could to trade up for

Les Snead typically wheels and deals during the NFL draft, making several trades to either move up or down the board. This year, however, the Rams general manager only made one trade – and it was a big one.

Early in the second round, the Rams traded up from No. 52 to 39 overall, sending the Panthers Pick 155 and a second-rounder in 2025. It was an expensive move for the Rams, one that the trade value chart says they got fleeced on, but that just goes to show how coveted Braden Fiske was by the front office and coaches.

Sean McVay said after the draft that the Rams immediately identified Fiske as a player they were willing to do whatever to trade up for. They even tried moving up for him from the start of the second round when the Bills went on the clock at No. 33.

“Fiske was the guy that we identified. ‘Hey, let’s do whatever we can to get up and go get this guy,’” McVay said. “And we were trying from the very jump. … Fortunately, Tony was able to get that thing done and we were able to do it and we felt like it was something that was part of the plan. The plan unfolded the way that we wanted it to. Sometimes it doesn’t work out that way but a real credit to those guys to be able to execute it and bring it to life.”

Fiske joins his college teammate, Jared Verse, along the Rams’ defensive front as another impact player who could start right away. They both had successful, albeit brief, stints at Florida State, helping the Seminoles go undefeated in the regular season last year.

Pair his relentless play style with his impressive athleticism and the Rams got a talented individual to help replace Aaron Donald.