Tag: Taylor Rapp

Watch: Troy Hill and Taylor Rapp combine for tip-drill INT in end zone

Teamwork makes the dream work.

As the saying goes, teamwork makes the dream work. And that certainly applies to almost all phases of football.

The Rams secondary proved that on Monday night against the Bears as Troy Hill and Taylor Rapp combined for a tip-drill interception. Hill was in great coverage on the receiver, and he tipped it back to Rapp for the easy interception.

It took points off the board for the Bears, ending what was their most encouraging drive of the night. Take a look at the great play by Hill and Rapp below.

Taylor Rapp not letting adversity of injury and demotion slow him down

Taylor Rapp has bounced between starter and backup through the first six games of the season.

Taylor Rapp got an opportunity to start last season after John Johnson suffered a season-ending shoulder injury. As a rookie, Rapp started the final 10 games of the season and played at a high level, especially for a first-year player.

Unfortunately, an injury also cost him his starting job this year after he was sidelined with a knee issue during camp. He missed all of the Rams’ padded practice this summer and when the season began, he was a backup to rookie Jordan Fuller.

Rapp has since bounced between starter and backup with injuries taking Fuller in an out of the lineup through the first six weeks. The ever-changing roles has been a challenge for Rapp, but he’s prepared like a starter all along.

“Obviously I had that unfortunate injury during camp and stuff like that and obviously the coaches went ahead and started Jordan over (me) and so it’s definitely been tough for me,” he said Wednesday. “But every week, I really prepare like I’m a starter no matter what. If I’m an actual starter playing all 100% of the defense or whether that’s 15, 20, 30 snaps on defense or just a special teams player. I’m going to prepare like a starter, make sure I’m getting my preparation during the week because like we saw, I had an opportunity ­– you never know when someone goes down, obviously with the unfortunate injury with Jordan – so you never know when you get your chance so you always want to be prepared. So I’ve always for the first six games in this whole season, I prepared like I’m going to be a starter and I’m going to play 100% of the snaps.”

Rapp has started two games and been a backup in the other four. He played less than 25% of the snaps in three games and at least 89% in the other three. It’s been a rollercoaster of a season for the second-year safety, but he’s taking everything in stride.

And as the season progresses, he continues to gain more comfort in Brandon Staley’s system. By missing most of training camp, Rapps opportunities were limited. He didn’t get the on-field reps that Fuller and the other safeties did, which shrunk his role on defense.

But he’s getting more familiar with the scheme and beginning to play freer without thinking as much, which you can see while watching Rapp on the field.

“Any time you can get more comfortable with the defense and get more reps, obviously you’re going to feel a lot more comfortable, you’re going to be able to play loose out there, play free,” he said. “Like you said, I had that unfortunate situation where I missed most of training camp with an injury and I wasn’t able to get those reps, but now with me being back and playing these first six games and getting more reps under my belt, I’m starting to feel a lot more comfortable, playing a lot looser and just playing free. That’s what the end goal is, that’s what everyone wants to work to.”

Rapp has 33 tackles and one pass defensed in six games so far, but those numbers will grow in the coming weeks. Fuller is currently on injured reserve and can’t return until Week 10 at the earliest, giving Rapp two more weeks of starting reps. After that, Fuller will likely return to the starting lineup, pushing Rapp back to a reserve role once again.

Why Taylor Rapp should be a big part of Rams’ game plan vs. Eagles

Taylor Rapp only played 15 snaps on Sunday, but that number should increase in a big way this weekend.

Taylor Rapp was on the field for 74.3% of the Rams’ defensive snaps as a rookie last season, stepping up in a big way after John Johnson suffered a season-ending shoulder injury. He quickly became a valuable part of the defense, playing alongside the veteran Eric Weddle on the back end.

His rapid rise in 2019 made his shocking descent to open this season even more shocking. Against the Cowboys on Sunday night, Rapp was only out there for 15% of the Rams’ defensive plays. Jordan Fuller, who replaced him in the starting lineup, was on the field for 99% of them.

Sean McVay said after the game that Rapp is healthy and his lack of playing time was the result of Fuller shining in training camp and the week of practice before the game. Rapp remains a big part of the Rams’ defense, McVay said, but Fuller earned his share of playing time in the season opener.

The Rams will need Rapp more than usual on Sunday against the Eagles, however, and he should be a huge part of the defensive game plan – especially as he continues to get back up to speed after missing time with a knee injury.

Few teams in the NFL rely on and utilize their tight ends as much as Philadelphia does, and it’s easy to understand why. The Eagles have two capable starters in Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert, who can each make plays as receivers and seal off edge defenders as blockers.

In Week 1 against Washington, Carson Wentz targeted Goedert a team-high nine times and Ertz seven times – second-most on the team. They combined for 11 catches, 119 yards and caught both of Wentz’s touchdown passes, proving to be the Eagles’ most reliable pass catchers.

One of the best ways to neutralize a tight end is to stick a good tight end on him, of which the Rams have several. Rapp is one of them, and he showed as a rookie the ability to play man coverage near the line of scrimmage, matching up with tight ends throughout the season.

The Rams don’t have great linebacker depth and expecting a player like Micah Kiser or Kenny Young to hang with Ertz and Goedert all game long, while also trying to defend the run, would be unwise. Instead, the Rams can utilize their safety depth and put Rapp on one of the two, hopefully closing the throwing lanes for Wentz to his tight end.

The other reason for Brandon Staley and McVay to get Rapp much more involved is his tackling ability. Last season, no player in the NFL with at least 100 tackles had a lower missed tackle rate than Rapp. He missed just three tackles on 103 attempts, a rate of 2.9%. Put simply, he was one of the best tacklers in the NFL last season, despite being a rookie.

In Week 1 against the Cowboys, the Rams missed a whopping 15 tackles. Not all of them were complete whiffs, but tackling was clearly an issue for the defense – and Staley wants it to improve as soon as possible.

“There’s certainly room for improvement. We missed far too many for the caliber of group that I think we have. A lot of it is just angles and timing. I think it’s very difficult to simulate timing in practice when it isn’t truly live to the ground,” Staley said Wednesday.

Rapp would presumably be an easy solution to improve some of the tackling woes in Week 2, given the way he played last season. He won’t solve the issue completely – it takes an entire defense to do that – but he should help limit the yards gained after the catch, especially with speedsters such as DeSean Jackson, Jalen Reagor and Greg Ward on the other side.

Even if Rapp doesn’t start on Sunday, expect to see a lot more of him than we saw in Week 1.

Sean McVay explains Taylor Rapp’s limited playing time vs. Cowboys

Taylor Rapp was limited to only 15 defensive snaps on Sunday night.

When the Rams’ defense took the field for the first time on Sunday night against the Cowboys, No. 24 was nowhere to be found. Taylor Rapp, presumed to be one of the two starting safeties with John Johnson, was on the sideline while sixth-round rookie Jordan Fuller got the start.

It was a shocking decision by the Rams, but one that makes some sense in the grand scheme of things. Rapp was out for just about all of training camp except for the final week as he recovered from a knee injury suffered early in the process. Fuller and Terrell Burgess took his reps on defense, and according to reports out of Thousand Oaks, they thrived in starting roles.

Rapp wasn’t injured in Week 1, it was just a matter of Fuller shining in camp and earning the playing time that he got in the opener. As a result, Rapp played just 15 defensive snaps, while Fuller was out there for 71. Sean McVay made it clear after the game that Rapp remains a big part of the team’s plans, but it seems Fuller has surpassed him on the depth chart for now.

“It was based on the way Jordan Fuller performed throughout training camp,” McVay said. “Taylor Rapp is a big part of our football team, that is not going to change, but it was more a result of great things that Jordan has done from day one. I mean, he’s been making plays, he’s mature beyond his years. The way he sees things, his range, his ability to make plays, as he demonstrated tonight. So, very pleased with Jordan. He’s going to continue to get better, but Taylor Rapp is a huge part of our football team as well.”

Fuller didn’t let the Rams down in his NFL debut, either. He played 99% of the defensive snaps, made a team-high eight tackles and stopped CeeDee Lamb short of the sticks on a critical fourth-down play in the last quarter.

Aside from creating a turnover, Fuller’s first NFL game was about as good as he and the Rams’ could’ve expected it to be. Unless he regresses to the mean as a sixth-round rookie, Rapp is going to be limited to working in sub-packages for the time being.

Of course, as Rapp gets work in Brandon Staley’s new scheme during practice – which he missed out on while injured during camp – he’ll earn more playing time. But Fuller is here to stay, which is huge for the Rams.

Lack of practice made learning Rams’ new defense tough for Taylor Rapp

Taylor Rapp missed more than two weeks of practice with a knee injury.

Just as the Los Angeles Rams put the pads on in training camp, Taylor Rapp was forced to remain on the sideline with a knee injury. Though not an overly serious injury, it was terrible timing for the second-year safety.

It’s especially difficult because the Rams are transitioning from Wade Phillips to Brandon Staley on defense, and Rapp missed two-plus weeks of on-field work where Staley was installing his system.

Rapp admits it was difficult to learn Staley’s defense from afar without getting physical reps in practice, but he returned to the field this week and is ready for the start of the season.

“It’s tough. Going back to when you guys asked me how it felt being out there, I was so eager to get on the field because before I had to shut it down for a few weeks, we never really got into live practice,” he said Wednesday. “So, I never really put on the helmet or even went against our offense. We were doing jog-thrus and walk-thrus or whatever, but I never really got to strap on my pads or my helmet. It felt great being out there, definitely.”

In addition to missing the Rams’ padded practices, Rapp also had to sit out their two scrimmages at SoFi Stadium. The second scrimmage, in particular, was the most physical practice to date for the Rams, allowing some hitting and more contact.

Rapp is like most players in the fact that he likes to lay a few hits before the season begins to get a feel for contact again, but he’ll have a chance to do that in practice the next week and a half.

“Yeah, I mean, it kind of depends on the person. I’m kind of like that. I like to get my pads popping a little bit,” he said. “Whether that’s studding up a running back, obviously keeping them up, being safe, or whether that’s taking on a receiver…making your presence felt and stuff like that. So, you know, just getting that first little thud definitely feels good once you’re back in pads.”

Rapp will be the starter at safety next to John Johnson and will try to build on what was a very promising rookie season in 2019. Sean McVay has already cleared him for Week 1 and said “he’ll be ready” to go against Dallas, also adding that the young safety looked good in his return to practice.

“He did great. It was good to be able to have him out there,” McVay said. “He was excited, he looked comfortable. He said he felt good. So, it was great to be able to get Taylor back out there yesterday.”

 

Darrell Henderson uncertain for Week 1, Taylor Rapp to practice this week

Sean McVay shared some updates on the Rams’ most notable injuries.

There are no major injury concerns for the Rams as the regular season rapidly approaches, but there are a few situations worth monitoring. After ensuring everyone that there are no concerns with Cooper Kupp’s ankle Monday, Sean McVay provided updates on three other players currently battling injuries.

Darrell Henderson (hamstring), Taylor Rapp (knee) and Travin Howard (knee) are all in different situations, but McVay hasn’t ruled any of them out for Week 1 just yet.

Rapp is the furthest along after missing two weeks of practice with a knee injury, and he’s expected to be back on the field this week. The Rams will ease him back in, so he may not be a full-go right out of the gate. Still, Rapp is making progress and doesn’t seem to be in doubt for Week 1.

Henderson, on the other hand, remains on the mend with a hamstring strain. He’s expected to miss the upcoming week of practice and his status for the season opener is still uncertain. The Rams don’t want to push him and cause a setback, which can often happen with soft-tissue injuries.

McVay didn’t have much of an update on Howard other than to say he’s still being evaluated. He injured his knee in practice last week and missed Saturday’s scrimmage.

While Henderson’s status is certainly concerning, the Rams have players to fill in for him in the interim. Cam Akers and Malcolm Brown are more than capable of handling the carries for Los Angeles, even if Henderson does have to miss the season opener against the Rams.

Rapp’s return to practice will limit the playing time for Jordan Fuller and Terrell Burgess, who have shined in his place while practicing with the starters. But needless to say, the Rams will be thrilled to get their standout safety back for the opener.

Howard’s status seems very much in the air due to the lack of updates provided by McVay, but the coach did compliment Kenny Young, Micah Kiser and Troy Reeder in the linebacker rotation.

Young started in Howard’s place for the scrimmage, so that would presumably be the approach in Week 1 if Hoard can’t play.

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Taylor Rapp back on the field, Darrell Henderson still rehabbing hamstring

Both Rapp and Henderson are making progress in their injury rehabs.

The Rams only have two notable players nursing injuries at this point in camp, but both Taylor Rapp and Darrell Henderson Jr. have been making good progress in their rehab. Rapp was on the field to start practice Thursday, which is another positive step for the second-year safety after he was in pads doing sprints on the sideline yesterday.

Henderson hasn’t quite made it back on the field yet as he recovers from a hamstring strain, but he was once again doing rehab work with trainers off to the side. McVay said initially after Henderson suffered the injury in Saturday’s scrimmage that the goal is for him to be ready for Week 1.

There have been no indications of Henderson suffering a setback or falling off schedule for Sept. 13, which is a good sign.

It’s unclear if Rapp participated in the entire practice or just the early portion of it, but either way, it’s a step in the right direction. McVay has said there is nothing that should keep Rapp out of the lineup when the Rams play the Cowboys.

As for other updates from Thursday’s practice, Jalen Ramsey and Andrew Whitworth both got the day off for rest. Aaron Donald was back after getting a veteran’s day on Wednesday.

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Sean McVay shares encouraging update on Taylor Rapp (knee)

Taylor Rapp is making good progress in his recovery from a knee injury.

As well as the Rams’ rookie safeties have played in training camp, Los Angeles is better with Taylor Rapp roaming the secondary. Unfortunately, he’s been unavailable since the pads came on last week, missing every practice and Saturday’s scrimmage at SoFi Stadium due to a knee injury.

Terrell Burgess and Jordan Fuller have made an impact already in Rapp’s place and should continue to provide depth throughout the season, but it sounds like the second-year safety will be good to go for Week 1.

Sean McVay made it clear that he doesn’t think there’s anything that wikk keep Rapp from playing in the season opener against the Cowboys and he should be back on the field in the next week or so.

“He’s doing good. He’s making progress. I’m hopeful that, you know, within the next week he’ll be able to get back out on the field,” McVay said Sunday. “So, he’s making the progress that we want. Certainly, we would love to have him out there right now. But I don’t think that anything is going to be threatened for this Dallas game. And obviously, that’s the most important thing is getting ready to go and being as healthy as we possibly can for the 13th.”

McVay was asked hypothetically who would fill in for Rapp if he somehow isn’t ready for the first game of the season. Burgess and Fuller would be obvious picks, but McVay wouldn’t commit to either one as a potential replacement.

“I think that’s to be determined,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of guys that are doing really well at the safety position. I mentioned those young players, those rookies, but, you know, we’ve got a lot of football left, we’ve got a lot of evaluation, still, to get done, to really identify those guys that are going to carve out roles for the 13th.”

Rapp took John Johnson’s place in the starting lineup last year after Johnson went down with injury and put together a highly encouraging rookie campaign. He’ll try to build on that as Johnson’s running mate in 2020, not his replacement, with the two making up one of the best young tandems in football.

Taylor Rapp remains out of Rams practice with knee injury

Taylor Rapp missed his third straight practice on Friday.

The Rams are getting some excellent play from their rookie safeties, Devin Fuller and Terrell Burgess, but there’s no doubt they’d love to have Taylor Rapp in practice, too. Rapp has now every padded practice of camp for the Rams with a knee injury, which Sean McVay indicated isn’t anything major.

He remained out on Friday and it’s highly unlikely he’ll take part in Saturday’s scrimmage at SoFi Stadium. McVay said recently that he’s hoping Rapp will be on the field in the next week or so, but couldn’t put a firm timetable on the safeties return.

“I don’t know specifically,” McVay said Wednesday. “I’m hoping that in the next week or so he’ll be able to get back out on the field. I’ll get with (head trainer) Reggie (Scott). He is making good progress, but I would anticipate in the next week we’ll have some clarity on hopefully him returning to play.”

In Rapp’s place, Fuller and Burgess have been outstanding in practice. They’ve each picked off passes and worked with the starters, transitioning quickly to the NFL after successful college careers.

At least the Rams now know they have some quality backups in the event that one of their starting safeties misses a lot of time.

Taylor Rapp highlighted as a player ready to break out in 2020

CBS Sports mentioned Rapp as a second-year player ready to break out.

Taylor Rapp had to wait a little while before becoming a starter for the Rams last season. It wasn’t until John Johnson suffered a shoulder injury in Week 6 that Rapp was promoted, though he was still playing snaps as a backup even before Johnson went down.

Rapp didn’t stand out right away as a starter, but it became apparent fairly quickly why the Rams liked him so much in the 2019 NFL Draft. His instincts stood out, his tackling was great and he was highly capable in coverage.

Entering Year 2, Rapp’s ceiling is even higher. Eric Weddle’s retirement has cleared the way for Rapp to be a full-time starter all season, lining up to the guy he replaced for half of last season. Fans are excited to see the young safety thrive in Brandon Staley’s defense, and he’s a player who could break out in his second season.

CBS Sports’ Josh Edwards highlighted players at every position who are ready to “make the leap” in Year 2, and Rapp received praise alongside Juan Thornhill and Johnathan Abram at safety.

Rapp had the benefit of learning from Eric Weddle for a season. The former is an instinctive player that should capitalize on his chance in 2020. He recorded two interceptions in 15 games last season. 

Rapp has the range to play in coverage, but he’s at his best when playing near the line of scrimmage. While not the fastest safety, his short-area quickness is phenomenal. That allows him to slip blocks and adjust quickly when attempting to make a tackle.

It’s why he made 100 total tackles and missed just three all season, a missed-tackle rate of 2.9%. He’s ready to break out in his second season, especially with the way Staley is expected to use him in the secondary.

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