Tag: Quentin Lake

Look: Rams players arrive for 1st day of offseason workouts

Rams players have arrived for the 1st day of offseason workouts, including Kobie Turner and Tre’Davious White

It seems like not long ago that the Los Angeles Rams’ 2023 season came to an end with their loss to the Detroit Lions in the wild-card round, but the team is already back in the building preparing for the 2024 campaign.

Monday marked the first day of the offseason workout program, which will gradually ramp up leading into summer break before training camp. Initially, players will mostly go through meetings and lifting sessions, but they’ll be on the field for OTAs in May.

Players began arriving for these voluntary workouts, including Kobie Turner, Ernest Jones, Quentin Lake and Rob Havenstein. Players aren’t required to participate in these workouts but the Rams are not expected to have any holdouts, so attendance should be near-perfect, if not 100%.

The new guys have made their way into the Rams’ building, too. Darious Williams, Tre’Davious White, Kamren Curl, Jonah Jackson and Colby Parkinson all arrived on the first day as they get acclimated to their new team.

Here’s the full schedule for the Rams’ offseason program this year.

  • First Day: April 15
  • OTA Offseason Workouts: May 20-21, May 23, May 28-29, May 31, June 3-6
  • Mandatory Minicamp: June 10-12

Rams’ Quentin Lake participating in NFL’s broadcasting bootcamp

Quentin Lake is taking part in the NFL’s broadcasting bootcamp this week, getting a look into the media side of the league

Quentin Lake is only entering his third season in the NFL but he’s wisely exploring off-field opportunities that are available to him. This week, Lake is one of the many current and former players taking part in the league’s broadcasting bootcamp, which is now known as the Broadcasting and Media Workshop.

The workshop gives players a chance to test the waters in the media industry with a three-day session that focuses on broadcasting on TV, as well as radio and podcasting. Also participating this week are Raheem Mostert, Andy Dalton, Chris Harris Jr., Tyrann Mathieu and Cameron Jordan.

Check out the photo of the full group below.

Lake attended UCLA and earned a degree in sociology, but he seems to have an eye on the broadcasting industry, which could potentially turn into a career after he’s done playing in the NFL.

Or, he could venture into that space while he’s still suiting up on Sundays like Cameron Jordan has.

Sean McVay mentions Quentin Lake as a young building block on defense

Quentin Lake is a rising player for the Rams after emerging as a dynamic defender in the slot last season

The Los Angeles Rams went from fielding star-studded defenses year after year to now deploying a unit filled with young, up-and-coming players. Gone are the days of Jalen Ramsey, Bobby Wagner, Leonard Floyd, Marcus Peters and now Aaron Donald.

Now, the Rams are leaning on players such as Kobie Turner, Ernest Jones and Byron Young. In addition to those three standout defenders, Quentin Lake is a player fans should know heading into the 2024 season. He’s expected to play a significant role next season after emerging as the team’s top slot defender last year, recently earning some recognition from Sean McVay.

During an interview on SiriusXM NFL Radio, McVay mentioned Lake as a young player the Rams can build around.

“Chris Shula’s going to do a great job leading our defensive unit,” McVay said. “We’ve got some young guys that we can really build around. Love what Kobie Turner did last year. Aaron really poured into him. Love the emergence of Byron Young. Ernest Jones is a special leader in the middle of our defense. I think Quentin Lake is a really special, emerging player. And then being able to add quality players on the back end like a Kam Curl, bringing Darious Williams back home. So we’re excited. We’re going to try to add some good players through this draft and we’ll see where we’re at.”

Lake joined the Rams as a sixth-round pick in 2022, primarily being viewed as a safety. Injuries limited him to only nine games as a rookie but he took his game to another level last season when the Rams moved him into the slot.

He excelled in that role, both as a run defender and in coverage. He earned a 71.2 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, helped by an impressive 84.6 tackling grade thanks to his missed tackle rate of only 3.8%.

With Williams and Tre’Davious White expected to be the starting cornerbacks on the outside, Lake has a golden opportunity to maintain his role as the primary slot defender.

He may not be a household name but Lake is in position to have a very good third season in the NFL.

Quentin Lake says his role with Rams is similar to Kyle Hamilton’s in Baltimore

Quentin Lake loved playing multiple spots for the Rams, similar to the way Kyle Hamilton does in Baltimore

Quentin Lake began the season as a backup safety behind Jordan Fuller and Russ Yeast. He didn’t play many snaps early on, mostly getting reps as a dime linebacker and slot defender, but as the season progressed, he got more opportunities.

After playing 15 or fewer snaps in each of the first five games, he never played fewer than 27 snaps the rest of the way and played all 65 snaps in Week 11 against Arizona. His role changed throughout the year but he eventually settled into the nickel role covering the slot, and he excelled at that spot.

In an interview with the LAFB Network at the Super Bowl, Lake talked about how many different positions he played, which he enjoyed.

“At first it was dime linebacker, or dime money, dime DB. Then it was safety, then it was nickel in one package, then nickel, then safety, and then safety and nickel in the same game,” he said.

Lake was proud to play so many different spots, especially knowing it was because the coaching staff trusted him. They showed a lot of confidence in Lake by deploying him in various roles, knowing he could handle the different responsibilities.

He saw his role as being similar to the one standout defender Kyle Hamilton plays in Baltimore for the Ravens.

“It was good. It was honestly an honor to show, one, my versatility. But honestly, how much the coaches trusted me,” he said. “That was a big thing. How the coaches trusted me to move from safety to nickel, or nickel to safety within a game. But a lot of it comes down to film study, like I said, having the coaches trust you. It was fun being in different spots. My football comparison, not that I want to compare myself to somebody, but really, like Kyle Hamilton, what he was doing on the Ravens defense. I feel like I had a similar role to what he was doing, on the Rams defense. Being able to blitz, cover, be back there coming out of the half, coming out of the middle of the field. It was fun, it was a good time.”

Lake’s stock is trending up heading into the 2024 campaign, becoming a key member of the defense. Whether he remains in the slot is unclear, but regardless, he’s going to play a key role somewhere in the secondary next season.

PFF names Quentin Lake an early breakout candidate for Rams in 2024

Quentin Lake got better as the season went on and his stock is trending up heading into 2024

Quentin Lake didn’t begin the 2023 season as a starter. He played 15 or fewer snaps in each of the first five games before getting more of an opportunity in Week 6 against the Cardinals when he played 27 snaps – a number that increased in each of the following four weeks, too.

He became the Rams’ primary nickel defender, lining up in the slot for the majority of the game. The slot wasn’t his natural position coming out of UCLA in 2022, but he’s transitioned nicely to that role with the Rams now that Jalen Ramsey is gone.

Looking ahead to 2024, Lake is a promising young player for Los Angeles, one Pro Football Focus has high hopes for. PFF’s Jonathon Macri picked one breakout player for every team in 2024 and Lake was his selection for the Rams.

Lake didn’t emerge on the Rams defense as a consistent contributor until about Week 6 of his second year in the league, where he began fulfilling the nickel corner duties for the defense. Lake struggled throughout this first year as a starter but eventually started to play better and increase his playing time, ultimately leading to a strong 70.0 overall PFF grade, 77.2 PFF run-defense grade and 66.6 PFF coverage grade, including the playoffs. The 2022 sixth-round pick appeared to perform well enough to potentially hold down that starting job for 2024.

The Rams’ secondary could have a very different look next season, but Lake should remain a key part of the group. Ahkello Witherspoon, Jordan Fuller and John Johnson are all pending free agents and may not be re-signed. It’s possible the Rams could move Lake back to a more traditional safety role, but given the way he played in the slot, that seems unlikely.

Either way, Lake is a good piece to have on defense heading into next season.

Matthew Stafford, 5 other Rams make PFF’s Team of the Week for Week 16

The Rams were well-represented on PFF’s Team of the Week following their dominant performance against the Saints

The Los Angeles Rams put together one of their best performances of the season last week against the New Orleans Saints, even though the final score may not look that way. In their 30-22 win, the Rams put up 458 yards of total offense and had 23 first downs with no turnovers and an average of 6.8 yards per play.

The defense featured some outstanding play from several guys, too, including Ernest Jones, Quentin Lake and Aaron Donald.

In total, six Rams players were represented on PFF’s Team of the Week for Week 16: three on offense and three on defense. Considering only 22 players were selected by PFF (excluding special teams), the Rams made up more than a quarter of the Team of the Week.

At quarterback, it was Matthew Stafford getting the nod thanks to his NFL-best 91.8 overall grade for Week 16. Puka Nacua, who was also named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week, was selected at wide receiver after catching nine passes for a career-high 164 yards. The third offensive player was right tackle Rob Havenstein, who only allowed one pressure.

Defensively, it was Donald, Jones and Lake earning PFF Team of the Week selections. Donald had four pressures, which was one fewer than Jones had in the win; Jones also added seven tackles. Lake only allowed 15 yards on seven targets in coverage, continuing his great second season in the NFL.

Up next for the Rams is a favorable matchup against the Giants this Sunday, so we could see another player or two from Los Angeles on PFF’s Week 17 Team of the Week.

Quentin Lake is expected to return for the Rams in Week 15 vs. Commanders

Sean McVay shared that Quentin Lake is expected to make his return for the Rams in Week 15 vs. the Commanders.

Quentin Lake has missed three consecutive games for the Los Angeles Rams, but it appears his return is imminent. On Monday, Sean McVay revealed that he expects Lake to be available versus the Washington Commanders in Week 15.

“It was close because he’s done such a good job, but I expect him to be back this week,” McVay said. “He’s done a phenomenal job working his rehab and it’ll be a boost to be able to get him back in the mix and what he adds to our secondary.”

Lake suffered a hamstring injury in Week 11 against the Seattle Seahawks, and he’s been sidelined since. Before the injury, Lake was emerging as a key starter in the secondary as he moved to the ‘star’ role in the slot.

Before allowing five receptions for 51 yards in Week 11, Lake had given up a combined 11 catches for 61 yards in his previous four games. The second-year defensive back has also tallied 33 tackles, three pass breakups, and a fumble recovery this season.

Upon Lake’s return, it remains to be seen whose role will be altered in the Rams secondary. Jordan Fuller and John Johnson III are the starting safeties, so we could see fewer snaps for either or both Derion Kendrick and Cobie Durant against the Commanders as the team looks to make a playoff push down the stretch.

Rams injury report: Tyler Higbee doubtful, 3 others questionable vs. Ravens

The Rams are unlikely to have Tyler Higbee on Sunday, while Byron Young and 3 others are also questionable against the Ravens

The Los Angeles Rams have some injury concerns heading into Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens. Sean McVay told reporters on Friday that Tyler Higbee is doubtful to play this weekend due to a neck injury suffered in the Rams’ win over the Browns.

Byron Young, Michael Hoecht and Quentin Lake will all be questionable due to the injuries they’re currently dealing with; Young and Hoecht have knee injuries, while Lake is recovering from a hamstring injury.

McVay did say that “unless there’s a setback,” he thinks Young and Hoecht will both be “good to go” for Sunday’s contest. That’s good news for the Rams because Hoecht and Young are their two primary edge rushers and play the majority of the snaps.

As for the Ravens, Rashod Bateman, Justin Madubuike and Lamar Jackson are all good to go and will not carry injury designations into Sunday’s game. They each had a day where they either missed practice or were limited, but they were all full participants Friday.

Rams injury report: Tyler Higbee and Michael Hoecht miss practice again

Tyler Higbee and Michael Hoecht missed practice again on Thursday, but Puka Nacua and Quentin Lake are making progress

The Rams only held a walkthrough to begin the week on Wednesday, but they hit the field for a full practice Thursday as they prepare for this weekend’s game against the Ravens. While some players made progress in their participation levels, Michael Hoecht and Tyler Higbee did not.

Higbee missed practice for the second straight day with a neck injury, and Higbee was also absent from practice again on Thursday due to a knee injury.

Byron Young was upgraded to limited, as was Quentin Lake, which is a good sign for both players as Sunday approaches. Puka Nacua is trending in the right direction, too, going from limited to full.

On the Ravens’ side Rashod Batemen was upgraded from DNP to full as he deals with an illness, and Justin Madubuike also went from limited to full, so he should be able to play against the Rams on Sunday. Lamar Jackson popped up on the report Thursday after missing practice due to an illness.

Rams DB Quentin Lake has chance to play Sunday, will ‘definitely’ return by Week 15

Sean McVay said Quentin Lake will definitely return next week if he can’t play this Sunday against the Ravens

Quentin Lake has risen from backup to the Rams’ starting nickel defender this season, seeing his biggest role in Week 11 when he played every defensive snap. Unfortunately, he suffered a hamstring injury in that game against Seattle and has been sidelined since.

Sean McVay provided an update on Lake Monday, saying he’s making good progress and could potentially return this weekend when the Rams face the Ravens on the road. If not this week, “definitely next week,” McVay said.

“He’s doing good. He is making really good progress. There’s a possible optimism about this week and then definitely next week if not this week. But he is making really good progress so we’re encouraged with that.”

In Lake’s absence, the Rams have primarily used Russ Yeast as their slot defender, along with Cobie Durant in dime packages. Lake has become a valuable defender for Los Angeles this season so his return will certainly be a welcome one in the secondary.

In 10 games played, he has 43 tackles, three passes defensed and a fumble recovery.