Tag: Taylor Rapp

Taylor Rapp not expected to be activated off IR this week

Rapp has been on IR since injuring his knee in Week 10 against the Seahawks.

Taylor Rapp has battled through multiple knee injuries this season, setting him back in his second year as an NFL safety. After missing time in training camp, he injured his knee again in Week 10 against the Seattle Seahawks and landed on injured reserve.

He’s eligible to be activated this week, having missed the last three games, but it doesn’t sound like that’s in the cards for the Rams. Sean McVay said on Monday that no players on short-term injured reserve are expected to be activated in time for Thursday’s game against the Patriots.

That list includes Kai Forbath and Andrew Whitworth, too, but Matt Gay is firmly entrenched as the team’s kicker and Whitworth isn’t expected to return until the end of the season, best-case scenario. Micah Kiser is also on injured reserve, but he has to wait at least one more week before he can be activated.

Nick Scott has stepped into Rapp’s role as the third safety, playing meaningful snaps in recent weeks. His emergence as a solid option on the Rams defense has lessened the urgency for Rapp to return, allowing him to take his time in recovering from this latest knee injury.

Rapp is a quality player who’s one of the better tacklers on defense, but the Rams are surviving without him right now thanks to Scott.

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Rams place Whitworth and 2 others on IR, sign K Matt Gay

The Rams made a handful of expected moves official on Tuesday.

The expected have now become official. On Tuesday, the Rams announced that they have placed Andrew Whitworth, Taylor Rapp and Kai Forbath on injured reserve.

The moves come just one day after Sean McVay said they were all expected to land on IR, following the injuries they suffered in Sunday’s win over the Seahawks. Each player will be forced to miss at least three games, though Whitworth is expected to be sidelined for about 6-8 weeks, according to McVay.

Additionally, the Rams have signed kicker Matt Gay, who was most recently on the Colts’ practice squad before being released earlier this month. He’ll compete with Austin MacGinnis at kicker as the Rams once again search for consistency at kicker.

Gay was a fifth-round pick of the Buccaneers in 2019 but struggled as a rookie. He went 27-for-35 on field goals last season and missed five of his 48 PATs.

Sean McVay shares injury updates on Taylor Rapp, Kai Forbath

The Rams came out of Sunday’s win banged up with three players likely heading to injured reserve.

The Los Angeles Rams came away with a win over the Seahawks on Sunday, but they paid the price in the process. Three players are heading to injured reserve after getting hurt in the game, including Andrew Whitworth.

Taylor Rapp and Kai Forbath will join Whitworth on IR, Sean McVay said Monday. Rapp injured his knee in the first half of Sunday’s win, while Forbath hurt his ankle in the second half.

Rapp’s injury is a Grade 2 MCL sprain, which is expected to keep him out 3-4 weeks. Forbath has a lateral sprain, though it’s unclear how long he’ll be out.

Additionally, Samson Ebukam has ankle inflammation but it sounds like a minor issue.

The Rams are already without Terrell Burgess for the rest of the year after he broke his ankle, but fortunately Jordan Fuller is back. He was activated off IR prior to Sunday’s game against the Seahawks.

The depth at safety will certainly be tested, with Nick Scott likely to get more playing time as a result.

Report: Taylor Rapp is believed to have suffered MCL sprain

Rapp has already returned from one knee injury this season.

A lot of good came out of Sunday’s game for the Rams, as they beat the Seahawks 23-16 and moved into a tie for first in the NFC West. However, they suffered a few injuries in the process.

Taylor Rapp left the game in the first half with a knee injury and was unable to return. Sean McVay didn’t have an update on his status after the game, but Tom Pelissero of NFL Network shared a report Sunday night.

According to Pelissero, Rapp is believed to have suffered a sprained MCL, though he’s undergoing an MRI, as expected. This is the second knee injury Rapp has suffered this year, the first of which happened in training camp.

Rapp’s injury came in the same game that Jordan Fuller returned for after he was on IR with a shoulder/neck injury. Rapp has come on in recent weeks after struggling early, playing much better in place of Fuller.

The Rams already lost Terrell Burgess for the year with a broken ankle, so going without Rapp for an extended period of time would be difficult.

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Taylor Rapp injures knee, is doubtful to return vs. Seahawks

Just as the Rams get Jordan Fuller back, Taylor Rapp goes out with an injury

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The Los Angeles Rams got Jordan Fuller back from injury on Sunday afternoon after he missed three games in a row with a shoulder/neck injury, but just as he returned, Taylor Rapp exited. In the first half against the Seahawks, Taylor Rapp suffered a knee injury and was quickly ruled doubtful to return.

That’s bad news for the Rams, who are getting thin at safety after suffering several injuries at the position. Rapp was filling in for Fuller while the rookie was out.

He made one tackle before exiting the game with the injury.

Rapp missed just about all of training camp with a knee injury this summer, which caused him to fall behind a bit and thrust Fuller into the starting lineup.

Assuming he doesn’t return to the game, Sean McVay should have an update on Rapp’s status afterwards.

6 takeaways from Rams’ sloppy 28-17 loss to Dolphins

The Los Angeles Rams’ offense was a disaster in Miami. Their defense wasn’t. Here are a few key takeaways from the team’s Week 8 loss.

The Los Angeles Rams may have physically traveled to Miami for a Week 8 matchup against the Dolphins, but only the defense seemed to show up to the game. The Rams suffered a 28-17 loss to the Dolphins in their final game before their Week 9 bye.

It felt like their Week 6 loss to the 49ers would be the most embarrassing loss by the Rams this season, but alas, they found a way to top it in Miami.

Here are six takeaways from a frustrating Week 8 defeat.

Watch: Rams’ DBs combine for dazzling interception in end zone

Troy Hill deflected the pass into the hands of fellow DB Taylor Rapp for a Rams interception.

Teamwork came into play for the Los Angeles Rams’ secondary as the Chicago Bears got inside their foe’s 10-yard line for the first time Monday night at SoFi Stadium.

Watch as Taylor Rapp comes down with the pick of Nick Foles after Troy Hills breaks up the pass and deflects the ball to his fellow defensive back.

The play set up the Rams for a drive that went 80 yards in eight plays and 80 yards with Jared Goff hitting tight end Gerald Everett for a 12-yard TD. After the PAT, it was 24-3.

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.