Micah Kiser and Nick Scott are training with Aaron Rodgers in Southern California, running sandhills with the 2020 MVP.
This time between OTAs and training camp is one for players to train on their own and stay in shape before regrouping in late July. Aaron Donald is training back home in Pittsburgh, Jalen Ramsey is getting in work on his own and a pair of other Rams defenders are running sandhills with Aaron Rodgers.
Micah Kiser and Nick Scott recently trained with Rodgers and other athletes, including former Baylor guard Davion Mitchell, in Malibu by running hills along the coast. The workout was with Proactive Sports Performance and while the view is spectacular, the hill doesn’t look easy to climb whatsoever.
Rodgers posted this on his Instagram story, too, claiming he beat Kiser in their race up the hill.
Rodgers has a house in Malibu, so it’s no surprise he’s training out there with others on the West Coast. He’s currently in a contract dispute with the Packers and skipped their minicamp, but he’s staying in shape as the regular season approaches.
It just remains to be seen which team he’ll play for. In all likelihood, he’ll still be in Green Bay.
The Rams haven’t added any linebackers yet. Are they waiting for the draft? Or will they roll with the same group from 2020?
Although the first wave of free agency is already in the books, the Los Angeles Rams still have plenty of opportunities to bolster their roster before the regular season begins in September. There are free agents to sign, prospects to draft and players to acquire via trade, but the Rams have yet to make a single move at inside linebacker.
They haven’t been linked to any free agents at that position, nor have they been reported to have met with any linebacker prospects. That doesn’t mean they haven’t looked into adding help to the linebacker corps, but it doesn’t seem to be a high priority for the front office.
This has made some wonder what the Rams’ plan is heading into the 2021 season. Are they going to roll with the same group as last season? Is Travin Howard going to become a starter after he was slated to be one in 2020? Will the draft bring notable reinforcements?
All of these are very possible for Los Angeles, given the way its defense is built. Despite getting subpar play from Micah Kiser, Kenny Young and Troy Reeder a year ago, the Rams still had the NFL’s No. 1 defense. That has to count for something, and it’s probably why the front office didn’t go out and sign Kyle Van Noy, Denzel Perryman or Christian Kirksey.
As unimpressive as the Rams’ linebackers were at times, all had their flashes of potential. Reeder had a three-sack game, Kiser won Defensive Player of the Week and Young had a pick-six. That doesn’t mean they should be locks to play significant snaps next season, but the Rams obviously see something in them to deprioritize the position in free agency.
(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
There are still players out there who could fit with the Rams, such as K.J. Wright, Kwon Alexander and Avery Williamson. All should come relatively cheap, even by the Rams’ standards.
But in all likelihood, Les Snead and the front office are waiting for the draft. It’s a somewhat deep class at linebacker, with plenty of athletic and rangy prospects available on Day 2. Jabril Cox, Jamin Davis, Monty Rice, Chazz Surratt and Justin Hilliard could all be options for the Rams in the second or third rounds, and all of them would be potential Day 1 starters.
If they add one of those rookies, it’s not unreasonable to think they could pair him with a player such as Reeder, Young, Kiser or Howard. Reeder and Kiser are better run defenders than they are in coverage, so ideally, the Rams would add a rangy coverage linebacker as a complement. Or, they could bring in a thumper to pair with Howard, who’s a former safety and has promising pass-defense skills. They have options available, it’s just a matter of which path the front office wants to take – or which way their draft board falls.
Regardless, it’s hard to imagine the Rams going into Week 1 without drafting at least one linebacker or signing one in free agency. They need talent in the middle of their defense and shouldn’t rely on the holdovers from 2020 to improve next season.
The Seattle Seahawks disappointed with a 20-30 loss at Lumen Field – their first playoff defeat at home since 2004 – to the Rams on Sunday.
The Seattle Seahawks’ 2020 season came to a screeching halt on Super Wild Card Weekend with a 30-20 loss to the Los Angeles Rams at Lumen Field, thanks to a putrid outing from Russell Wilson and the offense. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer seemed to have no answer for the hard-hitting, speedy Rams defense, while Seattle’s defense looked progressively more exhausted and demoralized as the game clock ticked onward.
One last time, let’s take a look at the good, the bad, and the ugly from the Seahawks’ first home playoff loss since 2004.
THE GOOD
Carlos Dunlap: Seattle’s trade for Carlos Dunlap continued to pay great dividends in the pass rush, creating pressure on the quarterback from the very first snap and posting two pass breakups and three tackles. Dunlap has revolutionized the Seahawks’ pass rush since his arrival and is currently under contract through 2021 – after his performance this year, the team should place a high priority on locking him down for another few seasons.
Jason Myers: The Seahawks’ record-setting kicker grew his streak to 37 straight made field goals, booting a 50-yarder for the team’s first score of the game in the second quarter and a 52-yarder at the beginning of the third quarter. He also nearly forced a fumble on the kickoff following his second field goal, chasing down Rams returner Nsimba Webster and slamming him to the ground at the Los Angeles 41 to jar the ball loose. Although Webster was subsequently ruled down, Seahawks fans were undoubtedly cheered by the effort and toughness that Myers demonstrated in a key situation.
The Rams are just about at full strength for this playoff game Saturday.
The Rams still haven’t named a starting quarterback for today’s playoff game against the Seahawks, but both Jared Goff and John Wolford will be available. Goff is active for the wild-card round, as are Micah Kiser and David Edwards, all of whom were questionable to play Saturday.
Goff is recovering from a broken thumb, which he had surgery on last Monday. He was seen warming up on the field before kickoff, throwing as he normally would to his receivers, including Cooper Kupp.
John Wolford is also active, of course, and could be in line to start his second consecutive game if Goff can’t go.
Rams inactives: QB Blake Bortles, C Brian Allen, OT Tremayne Anchrum, WR Trishton Jackson. TE Brycen Hopkins.
Kickoff between the Rams and Seahawks is set for 4:40 p.m. ET on FOX, with the winner advancing to the divisional round of the playoffs. The Rams are three-point underdogs on the road, with the over/under set at 41.5 points.
Jared Goff’s status for Saturday’s game remains up in the air.
Jared Goff is not even two weeks removed from thumb surgery on his throwing hand, but he’s still in the mix to play for the Rams on Saturday in their wild-card game against the Seahawks. On the team’s final injury report of the week, Goff is officially listed as questionable to play.
The same goes for Micah Kiser, who hasn’t played since Week 11 when he injured his knee. Troy Reeder has filled in for Kiser during his absence and played well.
Goff and Kiser are the only Rams players listed on Friday’s report, which is a good sign for Cam Akers, David Edwards and Joe Noteboom, all of whom were at least limited during the week.
Sean McVay has said he won’t reveal the Rams’ starting quarterback prior to kickoff at 1:40 p.m. PT on Saturday, and Goff’s questionable status gives no indication which way the Rams are leaning. John Wolford showed he can succeed in the Rams’ win over the Cardinals in Week 17, which complicates things for L.A.
Goff was throwing in practice Wednesday and Thursday, which is an indication that his thumb is at least feeling OK.
The last game Goff played this season also came against the Seahawks, a 20-9 loss in Week 16 that eliminated the Rams from NFC West contention. He completed 24 of 43 passes for 234 yards and one interception, showing remarkable toughness to play through his thumb injury.
He even popped his dislocated thumb back into place at one point and never missed a snap. His toughness isn’t a factor here, and it’s more about his ability to properly grip and throw the ball without being impeded by the injury.
The Rams have gotten a lot of bad news on the injury and COVID-19 fronts in the last two weeks, but they shared a couple of positive updates on Wednesday leading up to the season finale.
Micah Kiser has been activated off injured reserve, which means he’s eligible to play in Week 17 against the Cardinals. He’s been out with a knee injury since Week 11, missing the last five games.
Andrew Whitworth returned to practice and has been designated to come off injured reserve, though he hasn’t yet been activated. The Rams now have 21 days to determine whether they will activate Whitworth and make him eligible to play in a game.
Whitworth injured his knee in Week 10 and has been out ever since. Sean McVay said Monday that the team is targeting the first round of the playoffs for Whitworth’s return. He hasn’t been ruled out this week, but the likely scenario is that he’ll be back for the wild-card round, assuming L.A. makes it.
Sean McVay doesn’t think either player will return this week, and Taylor Rapp may not play at all this season.
Sean McVay shared some disappointing news on the injury front Monday, ruling out Cam Akers for at least the next game against the Seahawks due to a high ankle sprain. But the Rams will also be without two other key defenders once again, too.
McVay said he doesn’t expect Micah Kiser or Taylor Rapp to be activated off injured reserve this week, meaning they’ll miss yet another game. Kiser has a chance to return for the season finale against Arizona, but Rapp will likely stay on IR for the next two weeks.
“We might have a chance with Micah. Probably not with Taylor,” McVay said.
Troy Reeder and Nick Scott have both played well in place of Kiser and Rapp, but they’re still key contributors on defense who the Rams would love to have back for the final postseason push.
Kiser has been out since Week 11 with a knee injury, while Rapp hasn’t played since Week 10 due to a knee sprain.
Troy Reeder is playing at a high level, which might make it hard for the Rams to take him off the field when Micah Kiser returns.
Troy Reeder was thrust into the starting lineup after Micah Kiser suffered a knee injury against the Buccaneers in Week 11. Kiser has missed the last three games while on injured reserve, and based on Sean McVay’s comments Monday, the linebacker won’t be activated for Sunday’s game against the Jets, either.
Assuming he doesn’t play this weekend, that’ll mark five missed games for Kiser this season. And in most of the games he’s missed, Reeder has stepped up in a big way, playing better football than Kiser was when healthy.
That leaves the Rams with a big decision to make: Should Kiser reclaim his starting role when he returns? Or should they stick with the “hot hand,” so to speak, and keep Reeder in there?
In all likelihood, both players will get some playing time when Kiser does come back. That’ll force L.A. to take Kenny Young off the field more often, too, which complicates things further because he’s playing his best football of the season right now.
But as logical as it would seem to continue giving Reeder playing time when Kiser is healthy, that wasn’t the case earlier this season. After Reeder recorded three sacks against Washington in Kiser’s absence in Week 5, Reeder didn’t play a single defensive snap until Week 11, when he played just six.
So the Rams made no effort to get Kiser and Reeder on the field together when both were available. Granted, the sample size of Reeder’s play was much smaller than it is now, but it’s important to note how the Rams handled this situation in the first half of the season.
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
In terms of how each player has performed when starting, it’s no contest. Kiser’s overall grade at Pro Football Focus is an unsightly 40.1. Reeder’s sits at 69.3 in limited action, with that number buoyed by his pass-rush efficiency.
On only 13 blitzes this season, Reeder has three pressures and three sacks, according to Pro Football Reference. Kiser, on the other hand, has blitzed 30 times and only has two pressures with no sacks. Of course, pass rushing isn’t the primary job of an inside linebacker, but that’s likely where the biggest discrepancy is in terms of PFF’s grading.
Both players have had tackling issues throughout the year, with Kiser missing tackles at an 11.5% rate and Reeder missing 11.7% of the time. In coverage, Reeder has allowed 7.8 yards per completion compared to 9.2 for Kiser, also allowing a passer rating that’s 18.1 points better than Kiser’s (79.3 vs. 97.4). In terms of impact plays, Reeder has made four tackles for loss, while Kiser has yet to make a single stop behind the line of scrimmage.
The eye test might be the most telling measure when it comes to evaluating these two players, though. Reeder has been much better against the run, and is a reason the Rams were able to shut down the Patriots’ rushing attack, and for the most part, the Cardinals’, too. In coverage, Reeder still has his struggles as a bigger linebacker, but Kiser hasn’t exactly thrived in that department, either.
This won’t be an easy decision for the Rams to make. Neither is a surefire starter in the NFL, but both have their strengths. It’s just that the defense has seemed to play better with Reeder as of late, which might lead the team to stick with the status quo when Kiser does return from IR – which could be in Week 16 against Seattle.
Micah Kiser and Taylor Rapp are both expected to remain on IR this week against the Jets.
The Los Angeles Rams are still awaiting the returns of Micah Kiser and Taylor Rapp, who are both on injured reserve with knee issues, but it doesn’t sound like either player will be back this week against the Jets.
Sean McVay spoke to the media on Monday to open Week 15 and he indicated that their statuses aren’t going to change. Both are expected to remain on IR for another week. Kiser and Rapp have each missed the minimum three games since landing on IR, so they could be activated as soon as they’re healthy.
McVay also shared an update on Terrell Lewis, who has missed the last two weeks with a knee injury. He’s unsure whether the rookie will be available against New York despite Lewis going into Week 14 against the Patriots without an injury designation.
Rams HC Sean McVay said "we'll see for this week" regarding status of OLB Terrell Lewis (knee).
No changes for LB Micah Kiser or S Taylor Rapp's IR status this week.
In Kiser’s place, Troy Reeder has played well, as has Kenny Young in the last two games. At safety, Jordan Fuller and John Johnson never come off the field and won’t even when Rapp returns, but Rapp would likely supplant Nick Scott as the top backup.
The Los Angeles Rams announced on Thursday that they have placed linebacker Micah Kiser on injured reserve. Kiser suffered a leg injury in Monday’s win over the Buccaneers.
Kiser will be forced to miss at least three weeks while on injured reserve but can be activated after sitting out three games.
Sean McVay said on Wednesday that Kiser was unlikely to play Sunday against the 49ers but didn’t know how long he’d be out.
#LARams transaction: we've placed Micah Kiser on IR.
