Tag: Shaun Jolly

Pivotal preseason finale could determine Rams’ CB group

The starters are pretty much set, but there are still spots up for grabs at CB entering the preseason finale

The Los Angeles Rams have been evaluating their roster for the better part of three months, going all the way back to OTAs and minicamp in the spring. Training camp is when the competition really started to heat up, leading to some tight position battles on both sides of the ball.

One position that still needs some sorting out is cornerback.

What we know is that Tre’Davious White and Darious Williams are projected to be the starters atop the depth chart. Cobie Durant is also sure to make the team as the third corner. Quentin Lake and Russ Yeast can both cover the slot, so that helps with the depth at cornerback, too.

But with Derion Kendrick injured and Jerry Jacobs being waived recently, there are spots up for grabs in the secondary. That makes Saturday’s preseason finale against the Texans so important for Tre Tomlinson, Shaun Jolly, Josh Wallace and Charles Woods.

Those four players could be fighting for one or two spots and they all should get extended playing time against Houston. We don’t know exactly how the coaching staff views that group but they would all seem to be pretty close in this position battle.

“You’re seeing some young guys – you look at Tre Tomlinson, you look at Shaun Jolly, guys that have been here,” McVay said this week. “Josh Wallace and Charles Woods are guys that have really shown well. So, we’ve gotten a lot of reps and then we have safeties that can play some of the nickel corner stuff when you look at Quentin Lake and Russ Yeast. We’re trying to find the best guys for our secondary and it’s starting to come into clarity, but we’ll continue to use these next few days.”

Wallace is a particularly intriguing player. He can play outside, which is where the Rams have a greater need behind White and Williams, and he was a standout corner in college at Michigan. He’s earned an impressive 71.7 coverage grade from PFF this preseason, allowing only one reception on two targets for a total of 12 yards.

Tomlinson has potential as a 2023 sixth-round pick but he’s also struggled with discipline in coverage and draws too many penalties. Jolly is mostly a slot corner, as is Woods. That doesn’t mean the Rams won’t keep one of them, but Wallace may just fill a bigger need.

If Wallace turns in another good performance against the Texans, it could be what he needs to secure a roster spot to open the regular season.

Rams place Duke Shelley on IR, make 2 other roster moves

The Rams made 3 roster moves coming out of Sunday’s win over the Cardinals, with Duke Shelley landing on injured reserve

Coming out of Sunday’s win over the Arizona Cardinals, the Los Angeles Rams made a trio of roster moves. In addition to placing cornerback Duke Shelley on injured reserve, the Rams signed Shaun Jolly to the active roster and signed Zachary Thomas to the practice squad.

Thomas was waived recently by the Rams but Los Angeles will keep him around on the practice squad where he can develop. He filled in for Alaric Jackson against the Bengals earlier this season but struggled mightily at left tackle.

With Shelley set to miss four games due to a hamstring injury suffered in Sunday’s win, the Rams brought up Jolly from the practice squad. He’s a slot cornerback who can step in if needed, given the Rams’ lack of depth at that spot behind Cobie Durant.

Rams sign CB Shaun Jolly to practice squad, add DT Cory Durden to active roster

The Rams made a pair of roster moves on Thursday, signing Shaun Jolly to the practice squad and Cory Durden to the 53-man roster

The Los Angeles Rams’ roster shuffling continued on Thursday with two more moves. The Rams announced they have signed Shaun Jolly to the practice squad, adding some depth at cornerback with Derion Kendrick’s status up in the air following his arrest.

Los Angeles also signed Cory Durden to the active roster, promoting him from the practice squad. He got his first opportunity on Sunday against the Cardinals and played well in place of the injured Bobby Brown III.

The Rams have Duke Shelley and Tre Tomlinson as backup corners if Kendrick is unable to play, but Jolly is another player with experience in the Rams’ system. He joins fellow cornerbacks Michael Ojemudia and Cameron McCutcheon on the practice squad.

Jolly was with the Rams last season and re-signed with them this offseason, but he was released in September during the final wave of roster cuts.

Rams waive CB Shaun Jolly with injury designation

The Rams waived Shaun Jolly on Tuesday, opening up a spot on the 53-man roster

Less than a week after signing Duke Shelley, the Los Angeles Rams made another move in the secondary. The team announced on Tuesday that cornerback Shaun Jolly has been waived from the 53-man roster with an injury designation.

That means if he clears waivers, he can revert to the Rams’ injured reserve list. The team can then decided whether to keep him on IR or waive him with an injury settlement.

This move opens up a roster spot for Los Angeles, which could allow the Rams to sign someone like Keir Thomas from the practice squad to the active roster. But at the time of this move, the Rams did not announce a corresponding move.

Jolly was signed by the Rams off the Browns practice squad last September and he was re-signed this offseason, eventually making the 53-man roster following the preseason.

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Raheem Morris sees Cobie Durant, Shaun Jolly as potential replacements for Jalen Ramsey at ‘star’ position

Raheem Morris believes that Cobie Durant or Shaun Jolly could replace Jalen Ramsey at the ‘star’ position for the Rams in 2023.

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Jalen Ramsey played the “star” position for the Los Angeles Rams since Brandon Staley was the defensive coordinator and Raheem Morris continued to deploy him in that role, lining up Ramsey in the slot fairly often. With the Rams trading Ramsey earlier this offseason, Morris believes that guys like Cobie Durant and Shaun Jolly could fill the All-Pro cornerback’s previous role.

“It’s hard to even mention Jalen, because like he’s the prototype for every position. But when you talk about what it is, it’s really the increased toughness. It’s really the short space quickness, and when you put a guy like Cobie and you put a young Jolly in there, they definitely have those tools and those attributes,” Morris said. “They definitely lack the size that Jalen had, which is kind of unique. But those are the things that we look for. Those are things that you look for in just around the league in general. And those guys that we have right now going out to getting those reps are certainly showing those attributes and being able to do some of those things. Jalen provided sort of a unique ability just with his size, either outside corner or whether you played him inside, I don’t think it really mattered. (He’s) kind of unique in his own right.”

The “star” position allowed Ramsey to be moved around on the defensive side of the ball, primarily putting him in the slot to give him more playmaking opportunities. Not every cornerback is as talented as Ramsey, though, especially with his size, length and physicality.

Replacing Ramsey is easier said than done, but Morris is confident in what he’s seen from Durant and Jolly thus far. Durant, who is 5-foot-11 and around 180 pounds, tallied three interceptions and led all NFL players with 151 interception return yards as a rookie in 2022.

Meanwhile, Jolly is listed at 5-foot-9 and 180 pounds as an undrafted free agent entering his second year in the NFL. Jolly was only active in two games for the Rams last season and his six total snaps came on special teams.

Even though there is plenty of time between now and the start of the 2023 season, Morris seemingly views Durant and Jolly as the current frontrunners to replace Ramsey in the “star” role.

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Rams tender CB Shaun Jolly, LB Christian Rozeboom as ERFAs

The Rams have tendered Shaun Jolly and Christian Rozeboom, which keeps them in the mix for 2023

The only moves made by the Los Angeles Rams thus far have been with their exclusive rights free agents. The team announced on Wednesday that Christian Rozeboom and Shaun Jolly have been tendered as ERFAs, which means they will have one-year contracts worth the league minimum in 2023.

It was previously reported that Michael Hoecht has been tendered, as well, which the Rams confirmed Wednesday.

An exclusive rights free agent is a player who has less than three accrued seasons and an expiring contract. By tendering these three players, they cannot negotiate with other teams.

Hoecht transitioned from defensive end to outside linebacker toward the end of last season and provided a spark as a pass rusher following the releases of Terrell Lewis and Justin Hollins. As of now, he’s penciled in as one of the starting outside linebackers.

Rozeboom played seven defensive snaps last season and joined the Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2021. Jolly was signed off the Browns’ practice squad last year but did not play any defensive snaps.

Rams release full list of inactives ahead of matchup against 49ers

The #Rams decided to keep three cornerbacks out of the matchup, which could play a factor in their matchup against the #49ers

The Los Angeles Rams had to make some tough decisions in selecting which players would be inactive for their primetime matchup against the San Francisco 49ers on Monday night. After careful deliberation, the team released their list of players who will not see action on Twitter, where they linked to an article on their official website.

Check out the link to their tweet below:

Important contributors like center Brian Allen, receiver Tutu Atwell, and cornerback Decobie Durant will not see action against the 49ers, and their absence could prove to be the difference in the final outcome. Others slated to be inactive are cornerbacks Shaun Jolly and David Long Jr., guard David Edwards and quarterback Bryce Perkins.

Both teams will face off with the squads they believe will give them the best opportunity to win. A victory would advance their standing in the NFC West, and the results of this Week 4 matchup could have implications for the playoffs later in the season.

Los Angeles has a chance to maintain their lead in the division, while San Francisco is hoping to get back in the mix to punch their ticket into the post-season in January. Expected to be a defensive masterpiece, this matchup pits two of the league’s top pass rushers against each other, with Joey Bosa and Aaron Donald set to make huge impacts on the outcome.

Injuries in the Rams’ secondary make their decision to de-activate three cornerbacks an interesting move, but with superstar Jalen Ramsey on the field, they likely won’t have to worry too much about the unit’s performance.

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Rams sign DB Shaun Jolly off Browns’ practice squad

The Rams poached another player off a practice squad, signing Shaun Jolly from the Browns

The Rams have been busy this week, shuffling their roster ahead of Sunday’s matchup against the Cardinals. They’ve kept a close eye on other teams’ practice squads and have now poached three players in the last few days alone.

On Thursday night, the team announced it has signed defensive back Shaun Jolly off the Browns’ practice squad, along with the previously reported signing of Kendall Blanton from the Chiefs.

Jolly helps give the Rams some depth in the secondary with Troy Hill on injured reserve, Cobie Durant battling a hamstring injury and David Long Jr. dealing with a groin issue.

Jolly is a 5-foot-9 rookie out of Appalachian State. He hasn’t played in an NFL game yet but he was productive in college, picking off six passes and returning two of them for touchdowns.

He also had 113 tackles and 18 passes defensed in four seasons.

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Rams expected to sign CB Shaun Jolly off of Browns Practice Squad

The Browns lose Shaun Jolly off of the Practice Squad as the Los Angeles Rams have signed him to their active roster.

After the Cleveland Browns terminated the contract of offensive tackle Alex Taylor, they opened up one spot on their Practice Squad. Then they signed Jordan Kunasyzk and Isaac Rochell to their active roster. Now, they are likely getting a second spot on their active roster. And now, it looks as though cornerback Shaun Jolly is off to the Los Angeles Rams.

Pending a physical, the Rams are looking to compensate for some of their injuries in the room by signing Jolly to their active roster. All in a three-day span, the Browns have experienced a great deal of turnover to their Practice Squad.

Two rookie defenders have legs wrapped after apparent hamstring injuries

The extent of their injuries is unknown but any missed time could greatly impact both’s ability to make the team:

The injury game is never a fun one but the three most important things when evaluating the potential impact of an injury are:

  1. Is it to a starter/key contributor?
  2. What is the severity of the injury?
  3. What is the depth at that position on the team?

The Cleveland Browns have been mostly lucky so far this offseason and training camp with severe injuries happening to players fighting for roster spots (Isaiah Weston, Stephen Weatherly) and the starters and key contributors that have been hurt have been minimal injuries (Amari Cooper, Anthony Schwartz, David Bell, Anthony Walker).

Wide receiver depth would be a concern after Mike Woods II went down with an injury but Cooper, Schwartz, Bell and Javon Wims are now all back at practice.

Saturday, two rookies who are fighting to try to make the roster or practice squad on defense had similar concerns:

Jolly is an interesting undrafted free agent that could compete for time as a slot cornerback. Kelly is someone who could compete for a spot if he is able to make a name for himself on special teams.

We will keep you up to date as training camp rolls on and injuries happen followed, hopefully, by returns. For example, rookie DE Alex Wright left practice today with a trainer but returned relatively quickly. OL Nick Harris got poked in the eye in one practice but was back the next day.

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