Tag: Taylor Rapp

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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A Rams player burned 10,000 calories in one day with an insane 17-hour workout

Taylor Rapp did not enjoy a lazy Sunday.

Rams safety Taylor Rapp is coming off a rather impressive debut season in the NFL. The 2019 second-round picked racked up 100 tackles, intercepted two passes and defended another eight.

As impressive as last year was for Rapp, he’s already added a far more impressive feat to his resume in 2020. On Sunday, the 22-year-old attempted completed the #10kCalorieChallenge.

No, he did not consume 10,000 calories. That’s something I could have done. Instead, he BURNED 10,000 calories with one day-long workout that included biking, running and swimming. I’m exhausted after just reading all of the things Rapp did during his Sunday.

Check it out…

He even posted the receipts…

I don’t think I’ve moved that much during this whole quarantine thing. This is ridiculously impressive and I wouldn’t recommend doing it unless, like Rapp, you are also a professional athlete. In that case, have fun!

Rapp is a hard-hitting safety who needs all the mass he can get, so I don’t know if the Rams are going to be thrilled with their player doing an intense workout like this. And I don’t know how healthy it is to burn that many calories in such a short period of time. But I’m also writing this blog from my bed and I’m trying to finish it quickly so I can get back to the bowl of mac and cheese I just heated up in the microwave. So what do I know?

Good job, Taylor.

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Look: Taylor Rapp exercised for 18 hours in one day, biked 125 miles

Taylor Rapp tried to burn 10,000 calories in one day, but it wasn’t easy.

During this time of isolation with gyms and NFL facilities closed, players are taking different approaches to staying in shape. Some are working out at home, while others are training with a select group of teammates.

And then there’s Taylor Rapp, who went all out this weekend with an 18-hour marathon of exercise.

The Rams safety shared a tweet Sunday night showing his workout, in which he attempted to burn 10,000 calories. He got there, but it obviously wasn’t easy. He biked 125 miles – 103 miles of which was in one ride – swam 1.25 miles, hiked another four miles and ran three more miles.

The end result was 10,521 calories burned, 18 hours and 21 minutes of exercise and three awesome maps of his routes.

Rapp is gearing up for a big second season in the NFL after a successful rookie year in which he was one of the best young safeties in the league. He’ll be a surefire starter in 2020 with Eric Weddle now retired, lining up with John Johnson at safety.

Like so many other players, Rapp is staying in shape this offseason, but not just by lifting weights and running on a treadmill. He’s out here doing triathlon workouts.

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Terrell Burgess’ versatility will give Rams endless options on defense

The Rams have three dynamic safeties in the secondary, which gives Brandon Staley countless options on defense.

When the Rams selected Terrell Burgess at No. 104, he was announced by Roger Goodell as a defensive back out of Utah. And that’s exactly how he should be described. Not as a safety, not as a cornerback, but as a defensive back.

That’s because Burgess is more than just a safety, which is how he was categorized by many draft analysts after playing that position for the most part last season. But if you look at how his playing time was distributed on defense, you’ll begin to see just how versatile he is.

Last season at Utah, Burgess played most of his snaps near the line of scrimmage as a box safety or nickel cornerback, according to Pro Football Focus. He also lined up at outside cornerback some, and even on the defensive line in Utah’s sub-packages.

That sort of versatility is extremely valuable in a defensive back.

Burgess’ arrival as the No. 3 safety will surely provide depth at that position. However, he’ll also compete at nickel cornerback, where Nickell Robey-Coleman has played for the last three seasons. But with Robey-Coleman gone, the Rams could lean on Burgess in the slot, as he’ll compete with David Long Jr. – last year’s third-round pick.

The best part about Burgess’ game is that he shouldn’t be pigeonholed to one spot. The Rams shouldn’t treat him like a traditional safety, and they’re not expected to. Defensive coordinator Brandon Staley stressed the importance of versatility in the secondary, and that’s something Burgess certainly provides. Not to mention, he’s pretty darn good in coverage.

With Burgess, John Johnson and Taylor Rapp in the mix, the Rams can play a lot of “big nickel” packages, which substitutes a safety for a cornerback in nickel groupings. In those instances, the Rams would have one inside linebacker and five defensive backs on the field. With Burgess, he’s a blend of cornerback and safety, which can make things tough on opposing offenses when they break the huddle.

He can play deep, but so can Rapp and Johnson. He can match up with tight ends and backs, but so can Rapp and Johnson. The Rams have three safeties who can do a variety of things in the secondary, which will keep teams on their toes.

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