Tag: rams roster

Brandon Staley values versatility in secondary and along D-line

Brandon Staley wants versatile defenders up front and in the backend.

The Los Angeles Rams welcomed a new defensive coordinator to Sean McVay’s coaching staff this offseason after moving on from Wade Phillips. While Brandon Staley uses the same 3-4 scheme that Phillips has utilized throughout his career, there are stark contrasts between the two.

For starters, Staley has no experience as a defensive coordinator and is 35 years younger than Phillips. Staley is also expected to be more diverse and unpredictable from week-to-week than Phillips, who didn’t typically make major changes to his scheme.

Where they’re similar is in the way they value versatility with their players. Phillips utilized Ndamukong Suh, Michael Brockers and Aaron Donald in a variety of ways, also featuring Mark Barron, Lamarcus Joyner and Marqui Christian on defense.

Staley puts a big emphasis on players being able to line up at multiple spots, specifically on the defensive line and in the secondary.

“That’s something you’ll probably hear me talk about a lot, having the versatility to play any place in the front, any place in the back,” Staley said, via the team’s official site. “We’re fortunate that we have that here, guys that have played a lot of roles. Groups that are connected, (because) those groups depend on each other a lot.”

There are a lot of examples of versatile players on the Rams defense. Taylor Rapp can play safety, linebacker or cover the slot. Jalen Ramsey and Troy Hill can both play in the slot and outside, while John Johnson can play either safety spot (free or strong).

Up front Brockers has experience at nose tackle and defensive end in the Rams’ 3-4 scheme, and Donald can rush from the edge or the interior. Brockers, of course, is a free agent, but Donald isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Staley shouldn’t have much trouble maximizing Donald’s skill set and using it to his advantage. Finding production from the nose tackle position, as well as defensive end, is a different story, though.

That’s one of the bigger challenges for Staley, especially if Brockers leaves in free agency.

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Jalen Ramsey reacts to Jaguars’ latest trade involving A.J. Bouye

Jalen Ramsey is loving the Jaguars’ roster destruction.

After the Jaguars traded Jalen Ramsey to the Rams last season, the All-Pro cornerback expressed a sense of relief to be out of Jacksonville and in L.A. It’s not because the weather or food are better in Los Angeles, but because he was no longer part of the dysfunction inside the walls of the Jaguars’ headquarters.

He wasn’t the only player happy to be traded by Jacksonville, with Dante Fowler Jr. and Allen Robinson also sharing that same sentiment. The latest deal made by Jacksonville involves Ramsey’s ex-teammate A.J. Bouye, who the team sent to Denver for a fourth-round pick.

This was Ramsey’s initial reaction …

… followed by a more to-the-point one.

The Jaguars have completely torn down the roster that nearly got them to the Super Bowl a few years back, and it’s not over yet. They’re going to place the tag on Yannick Ngakoue, who has outright said he doesn’t want to stay with the Jaguars long-term.

Ramsey, Fowler, Robinson, Bouye and Blake Bortles are all with new teams, and none of them seem upset about getting out of Jacksonville.

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Rams have their starting safeties, but depth is now a question

With Eric Weddle retiring, the Rams need to add depth at safety.

The Los Angeles Rams addressed the safety position in a big way last offseason, signing Eric Weddle as a free agent before selecting Taylor Rapp with their first pick in the draft. The result was a safety group flush with top-tier talent and depth, which the Rams needed after John Johnson suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in Week 6.

The depth at that position doesn’t look so great now after Eric Weddle announced his retirement on Thursday. The Rams knew they probably wouldn’t have Weddle back in 2020 after he made it clear that he didn’t want to be a backup, so this wasn’t exactly shocking news to the team.

However, Los Angeles doesn’t have much proven talent under contract behind Johnson and Rapp, who are expected to be the starters. In fact, most fans probably couldn’t name the Rams’ two primary backup safeties right now.

Nick Scott and Jake Gervase are the only backups under contract for 2020, which doesn’t instill much confidence at that spot. Combined, they played 28 defensive snaps last season – 15 for Scott and 13 for Gervase.

Marqui Christian, who was the No. 3 safety behind Weddle and Rapp, played 371 defensive snaps but will be a free agent this offseason. With Weddle retired, re-signing Christian just became that much more important.

That won’t be difficult to do considering the Rams just gained $5.25 million in salary cap space with Weddle’s retirement, money that can be used to keep Christian and possibly Greg Zuerlein, too.

But even if Christian is back, the Rams could use another safety on the roster. Gervase doesn’t have much experience and Scott is more of a special teams player than a defensive back at this point in his career.

Signing a free agent like Darian Thompson or Jayron Kearse would give the Rams another player with NFL experience behind Rapp and Johnson, in the event that an injury occurs. Christian isn’t a traditional safety, either, playing more of a hybrid role at linebacker.

This isn’t to say the Rams should make safety a top priority this offseason, but they also can’t afford to ignore the position and go into the year with Scott and Gervase as the primary backups.

7 Rams who must play better in 2020

The Rams need better performances out of these seven players next season.

(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

The 2019 season was one filled with disappointment and underperforming for the Los Angeles Rams. Not only did they come up short of where they wanted to finish the year, but several players put together seasons that didn’t meet expectations.

Some were worse than others, of course, but these seven players must play better in 2020 in order for the Rams to get back to the postseason. Not surprisingly, it all starts with the quarterback.

QB Jared Goff

(Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

Goff plays the most important position in sports, so when he underperformed in 2019, he rightfully came under a lot of criticism. His struggles can’t continue into next season, otherwise the Rams will once again be watching the playoffs from home instead of hosting one at SoFi Stadium.

Goff’s yardage numbers were impressive (4,638), but that also came on the most attempts of any quarterback with a passer rating of only 86.5. His 22 touchdown passes ranked 16th, he was 14th in yards per attempt and threw the fourth-most interceptions.

He must play better overall by cutting down on the turnovers and improving on deep passes, which was an area of major concern in 2019.

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Rams sign John Wolford, Jachai Polite and 7 others to futures contracts

The Rams signed nine players to futures contracts, keeping them around on the 90-man roster.

The 2019 season ended just two weeks ago, but the Los Angeles Rams have already begun managing their 90-man roster for the 2020 campaign. On Thursday, the team announced it has signed nine players to reserve/futures contracts, all of whom were on the practice squad to end the season.

Here are the nine players who will be added to the 90-man roster for the spring workouts and training program.

  • DB Adonis Alexander
  • DL Marquise Copeland
  • WR Greg Dortch
  • OLB Jeff Holland
  • OG Jeremiah Kolone
  • OLB Jachai Polite
  • C Nate Trewyn
  • TE Ethan Wolf
  • QB John Wolford

John Kelly spent most of the year on the practice squad, but he was elevated to the 53-man roster for the season finale against the Cardinals. Therefore, he was not eligible for a futures contract. Only players who ended the season not on a 53-man roster are eligible.

Polite and Wolford are probably the most recognizable names on the list, along with former compensatory draft pick Adonis Alexander. Wolford could compete for the No. 2 quarterback job next season with Blake Bortles becoming a free agent, while Polite may have an opening at outside linebacker if the Rams make changes there, too.

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4 Rams players who could earn bigger roles in 2020

Darrell Henderson should be a bigger part of the offense next season.

(Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)

The Los Angeles Rams are bound to make several changes to their roster this offseason leading into the 2020 campaign, especially with three coaches no longer with the team. Whether it’s backups working their way into starting roles or free agents and rookies taking over, there will be a lot of new faces next season.

There will also be younger players who will develop and find themselves in bigger roles. These four players, in particular, could become bigger parts of the offense and defense, depending on how the offseason goes for them.

RB Darrell Henderson

(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Henderson came into the NFL with a great deal of hype surrounding him – especially after Les Snead said he gave the Rams a “Kamara element” at running back. His rookie season came and went without much flare, however. He carried the ball 39 times for 147 yards, catching only four passes for 37 yards.

In a season where Todd Gurley missed one game and was clearly on a load management plan, it’s mind-blowing that Henderson didn’t get more opportunities. He only carried the ball 10 times in the second half of the season, with 22 of his 39 attempts coming in Weeks 7 and 8 against the lowly Bengals and Falcons.

Henderson averaged only 5.6 attempts per broken tackle, compared to Gurley’s rate of 10.6. He eluded defenders at a high rate and showed he can be an effective runner in the NFL. Next season, he deserves a larger role – whether Gurley is back or not.

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4 potential cap casualties for the Rams this offseason

The Rams could move on from these four players this offseason.

Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Rams are in for an interesting offseason in 2020. After coming up well short of their goal of making it back to the Super Bowl, missing out on the playoffs entirely, the Rams must make changes this offseason on both sides of the ball.

It’ll start with free agency and continue into the draft with players likely being cut and traded all spring and summer. They’re not in great shape with the salary cap, especially with several key starters hitting free agency, so moves will need to be made.

Here are four players who could be cap casualties, either by being cut or having their 2020 options declined.

Eric Weddle

(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Potential savings: $4.25 million

More likely than not, Weddle won’t be back with the Rams next season. He’s set to count $4.75 million against the cap in 2020 with the team able to free up $4.25 million by declining his option for 2020. Combined, John Johnson and Taylor Rapp will have a cap hit of just over $2 million next season.

It’s easy to see why the Rams would be OK with moving on from Weddle, who already said he won’t come back if the team views him as a backup. Weddle was valuable as a leader and mentor for the younger safeties, but it’s time for the Rams to let their duo of Johnson and Rapp shine in 2020.

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Rams’ 6 biggest offseason roster needs

The Rams must address these six positions this offseason.

(Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images)

The Los Angeles Rams are starting their offseason work earlier than expected, having missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016. The coaching staff will be evaluated, as will the roster and upcoming free agents.

There will be holes opened up across the depth chart, including a few at some very important positions. The core is still intact at quarterback, running back and cornerback, while Aaron Donald’s presence at defensive tackle is always reassuring for the defensive line.

These six positions will most likely need some attention this offseason, depending on how free agency shakes out. They’re the Rams’ six biggest roster needs in 2020.

Left tackle

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

This is the big one. Andrew Whitworth is 38 and set to hit free agency. He’s expressed a desire to play another season in 2020, but it’s unclear if the Rams will bring him back or move on to a cheaper, younger option. Joseph Noteboom is a candidate to take over for Whitworth, but he played guard this season and has a lot of improving to do before he’s ready for a full-time starting job at left tackle.

Bobby Evans and David Edwards should also be in the mix if Whitworth leaves, considering both played tackle in college and were cross-trained by Aaron Kromer at every position but center last year.

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Rams place JoJo Natson on IR, promote TE from practice squad

The Rams made a roster move Tuesday, replacing JoJo Natson with Kendall Blanton.

Sean McVay announced on Monday that return specialist JoJo Natson would be out 4-6 weeks after injuring his hamstring in Week 13. It turns out he won’t be back this season as the Rams placed him on injured reserve Tuesday.

In a corresponding move, they promoted tight end Kendall Blanton from the practice squad, taking Natson’s place on the 53-man roster.

Blanton was signed by the Rams as an undrafted free agent out of Missouri this year. He’s a bigger tight end at 6-feet-6, 262 pounds, running a 4.95-second 40-yard dash at the combine. In his final season at Missouri, he caught 22 passes for 177 yards and two touchdowns in 10 games, missing three games with a knee injury.

It’s unclear if his promotion is related to Gerald Everett’s status. Everett missed Sunday’s game with a knee injury and is considered day-to-day, according to McVay.

The Rams now have four tight ends on the active roster.

Rams add Nsimba Webster to 53-man roster, waive RB John Kelly

The Rams have added Nsimba Webster to the 53-man roster after another team tried to sign him.

Nsimba Webster burst onto the scene for the Rams as an undrafted free agent this summer, making the 53-man roster out of the gates. He was waived in October but signed to the practice squad, sticking around in Los Angeles.

The Rams like his skill set as a receiver and return specialist, and they showed it on Saturday by promoting him from the practice squad to the active roster.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, they made the move partly because Brandin Cooks remains out, but also because another team tried to sign him to their roster.

To make room for Webster, the Rams waived running back John Kelly.

Webster probably won’t be active on Sunday against the Bears, even with Cooks out, but he does have a chance to make an impact at some point for the Rams down the line. He’s a speedy receiver out of the slot and dynamic return man with pro potential.

In the preseason, he had 15 catches for 150 yards and a touchdown in four games.