Tag: Zach Evans

Sean McVay ‘intrigued to see’ rookie RB Zach Evans in 2nd half of season

Zach Evans is a rookie Sean McVay is intrigued by heading into the 2nd half of the season, saying he’s gotten better and better in practice

Rookie running back Zach Evans looked like he’d be in line for a big role after Kyren Williams and Ronnie Rivers both got hurt, operating as the No. 3 back for most of the season. However, in the first game without Williams and Rivers, the Rams leaned on newly signed Darrell Henderson Jr. and Royce Freeman – neither of whom had a single carry before Week 7.

Evans took a backseat and hasn’t gotten a carry since Week 6, but with the ground game struggling, perhaps there’s one last opportunity for him to prove himself before Williams returns.

On the “Coach McVay Show” this week, Sean McVay mentioned Evans as a rookie he’s excited to see in the second half of the season, indicating he could get a look at running back after improving in practice.

“Zach Evans is another guy that I’m intrigued to see if he gets an opportunity to get some carries towards the second half of the season,” McVay said. “He’s gotten better and better and practice, and then see if he gets an opportunity to get out there.”

Freeman has averaged 4.3 yards per carry this season, gaining 142 yards on 33 attempts. Henderson has only gained 2.8 yards per attempt in the three games he’s played, so neither player has been very efficient.

With a Week 10 bye, it’s possible the Rams will use this time to make a change at running back for their first game coming out of the break. Williams is slated to return in Week 12, so Week 11 against the Seahawks could be a perfect opportunity for Evans to prove himself before the workhorse comes back.

Fantasy Football: Running back starts and sits for Week 7

We take a look at running backs across the league and tell fantasy managers which to start and which to leave on the bench.

Starts and sits is here to help fantasy managers make those all important last minute lineup decisions .While we won’t tell you about obvious starts such as Christian McCaffrey or Tyreek Hill, we will find players you may be waffling about and help you make a decision.

Let’s look at running backs for Week 7.

Sean McVay non-committal on Zach Evans starting at RB for Rams in Week 7

Sean McVay won’t name a starting RB for the Rams yet in Week 7 despite Zach Evans being No. 3 on the depth chart.

The Los Angeles Rams will be without Kyren Williams and Ronnie Rivers for multiple weeks, so Sean McVay will have to figure out how the backfield shakes out until they can return. Ahead of Sunday’s matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers, McVay was non-committal on naming Zach Evans the starting running back for the Rams.

“I wouldn’t say that,” McVay said. “We’ve got the week to be able to evaluate and I would say all four of those guys are possibilities and we’re truly navigating through that. But I was pleased with what Zach did towards the latter part of the game.”

Both Williams and Rivers suffered injuries in the Week 6 win over the Arizona Cardinals. Evans would finish the game by receiving his first four rushing attempts in the NFL, turning them into 10 yards.

The rookie sixth-round pick was the only running back left on the active roster at the beginning of the week. But since then, the Rams have activated Royce Freeman from their practice squad, signed Darrell Henderson off of the street, and signed Myles Gaskin off of the Minnesota Vikings’ practice squad.

Given that Evans and Freeman have been with the team the longest this season, they could share touches in Sunday’s game. There’s a chance Henderson or Gaskin are involved in the game plan, but it’s tough to expect much from them on short notice.

McVay is going to use this week of practice to determine how the backfield workload will be divvied up. While Evans seems like the obvious choice to see the majority of the touches, his ability to understand the offense and be trusted in pass protection is crucial.

With all of the moving parts, we may not know who will draw the start at running back for the Rams until Sunday’s showdown with the Steelers kicks off.

Rams rookie Zach Evans is next in line at RB for Week 7 vs. Steelers

With injuries to Kyren Williams and Ronnie Rivers, rookie Zach Evans could draw the start at RB for the Rams in Week 7 vs. Steelers.

The Los Angeles Rams had their best game running the ball in their win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, but they’ll be shorthanded at running back entering Week 7. With injuries to Kyren Williams and Ronnie Rivers, rookie Zach Evans is likely to start at running back for the Rams in Week 7 versus the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Williams recorded a season-high 158 rushing yards and a touchdown on 20 attempts against the Cardinals on Sunday. The second-year back would suffer an ankle injury in the fourth quarter and he’s since been diagnosed with an ankle sprain that is expected to sideline him for at least one week.

Rivers was operating as the backup to Williams and he carried it three times for 9 yards before exiting with a knee injury. He has been diagnosed with a PCL sprain and is expected to miss multiple weeks for the Rams.

Evans received his first touches of the season versus the Cardinals, logging 10 yards on four rush attempts. The rookie sixth-round pick was active for just the second time this season, and he has more special team snaps (9) than offensive snaps (6) so far.

After transferring from TCU to Ole Miss in 2022, Evans rushed for 936 yards and nine touchdowns on 144 attempts in his final collegiate season. The first-year back also caught 30 passes for 325 yards and two touchdowns in his three years in college, proving he can be a capable option in the passing game.

The size of Evans’ role could be determined by how he performs in pass protection as veteran Royce Freeman will likely rotate in with Evans. Ahead of a home showdown with the Steelers, Evans is poised for an expanded role with the Rams now shorthanded at running back.

6 Rams to watch in preseason finale vs. Broncos

The Rams will take on the Broncos this Saturday to finish their preseason schedule and we have 6 players to watch in the matchup.

The Los Angeles Rams are set to conclude their preseason schedule versus the Denver Broncos on Saturday. This is the last chance for players to get live-action reps in hopes of carving out a roster spot for the Rams ahead of the 2023 season.

The Rams are 0-2 in their first two preseason contests, losing to the Los Angeles Chargers and the Las Vegas Raiders. Even though wins don’t matter in the preseason, Sean McVay will want to see improvements across the board on Saturday.

With the Rams set to face the Broncos on the road in the third week of the preseason, here are six players to keep an eye on.

6 Rams to watch in preseason Week 2 vs. Raiders

Here are 6 players to watch as the Rams take on the Raiders in the second week of the preseason.

The Los Angeles Rams will host the Las Vegas Raiders for their second preseason contest on Saturday. The Rams are coming off a 34-17 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in their preseason opener, but the team is focused on determining certain position battles rather than winning meaningless games.

With Week 1 only a few weeks away, time is ticking for players to show enough to earn a roster spot. Ahead of Saturday’s preseason meeting with the Raiders, here are six players from the Rams to pay attention to.

6 Rams rookies to watch during training camp this year

Here are six rookies for Rams fans to keep an eye on during training camp this year.

The Los Angeles Rams are gearing up to begin their training camp festivities, and this year is an entirely different challenge for Sean McVay and company. Following a disastrous 2022 campaign, the Rams have reshaped their roster for the upcoming season, which will unquestionably have a fair share of rookies and inexperienced players in significant roles.

During the 2023 NFL draft, the Rams made 14 selections in the seven rounds. Los Angeles also has 22 undrafted rookies set to compete for roster spots in training camp in the coming weeks.

With 36 total first-year players on the current roster, here are six rookies to watch for as the Rams begin training camp.

Rams RB Zach Evans lands on projected All-Rookie Team from NFL analyst

Zach Evans, a sixth-round pick, was chosen on NFL analyst Chad Reuter’s projected All-Rookie Team 👀

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Zach Evans may have been a sixth-round pick, but there’s some hype about this rookie running back for the Rams. Though the TCU and Ole Miss product is currently penciled in as the No. 3 or 4 option on the depth chart, there are some who believe he could become the starter eventually.

NFL.com’s Chad Reuter is among them, picking Evans on his projected All-Rookie Team for 2023. It’s always difficult to predict which rookies will make an instant impact in Year 1, and more often than not, it’s the early picks that do. But Evans, a sixth-rounder, could carve out a role as a rookie in L.A.

Cam Akers has definitely experienced ups and downs during his career with the Rams. If injury or inconsistent play from Akers creates an opportunity for Evans, I expect the rookie sixth-rounder to attack rushing lanes with his powerful yet agile north-south running.  

Of the 11 players Reuter projects to make the All-Rookie Team on offense, seven of them were first-round picks. Evans was the lowest-drafted player by a wide margin, with the next-closest being Anthony Bradford of the Seahawks, a fourth-rounder.

Evans not only has to beat out Cam Akers for touches, but Kyren Williams and Sony Michel now, too. It’s what has Evans third (or fourth) on the depth chart right now as the Rams approach training camp, but there’s certainly time for him to rise up the ranks.

Dane Brugler of The Athletic was high on Evans coming into the draft, ranking him 31st on his big board last summer before eventually dropping him down to No. 115 in his final rankings due to some apparent reliability concerns and potential character issues.

Evans’ ability has never been the question when projecting his football future. Going back to high school, however, there were reliability issues that created a hectic recruiting process. After two productive yet inconsistent seasons at TCU, he transferred to Ole Miss for 2022, which gave him a fresh start and a chance to change his narrative. NFL scouts remained more skeptical than optimistic on him throughout the draft process.

The Rams may have found a future starter at running back and at the very least, a talented change-of-pace back to complement Akers. For now, it’s Akers’ backfield to lose, but Evans will be lurking as the season progresses.

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How does Sony Michel impact the Rams’ backfield?

Sony Michel is surprisingly back with the Rams. Will he just be a camp body or will he compete for a meaningful role in LA?

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Fairly unexpectedly, the Los Angeles Rams made an addition to their running back room this week. They signed a familiar name, bringing back veteran RB Sony Michel.

The Rams had four running backs on the roster already, led by Cam Akers and Kyren Williams, which is why the decision to sign Michel came as a surprise. Michel brings plenty of experience to the position, having played five years in the NFL and started 35 games in his career, but he’s not exactly an explosive back or change-of-pace guy.

Instead, he’s a physical, between-the-tackles runner who can pick up the tough yards on third down and near the goal line – as he did several times near the end of his first Rams tenure.

Where exactly he slots into the depth chart is unclear. Michel is coming off a season in which he played 10 games for the Chargers and had just 106 yards on 36 carries. That’s an average of 2.9 yards per carry, the lowest of his career and well below his average of 4.2 across his five seasons.

He’s certainly not going to unseat Akers as the starter, and it’s hard to imagine him even beating out Williams as the No. 2 option. What’s most likely to happen is he’ll compete with Ronnie Rivers for the fourth spot behind Akers, Williams and rookie Zach Evans.

The Rams liked Evans enough to trade up 37 spots to select him, so it’s really hard to imagine him being cut, even though he’s only a sixth-round rookie. Williams was a standout in OTAs and minicamp and Akers still appears to be the starter.

Perhaps the Rams were simply looking for another camp body and someone with enough experience to help the younger backs on the roster. And he probably brings more to the table as the fourth running back than Rivers, given his physical running style and nose for the end zone.

It’s very possible that Michel won’t even make the 53-man roster. We don’t know the details of his contract with Los Angeles, but unless there’s a lot of guaranteed money on it, he’s absolutely a cut candidate.

The Rams absolutely don’t need five running backs on the roster, so that should be out of the question, which likely leaves Michel and Rivers competing for the final spot on the depth chart.

From a fantasy perspective, this move shouldn’t have much of an impact on Akers at all. It could potentially hurt his goal line work if the Rams are concerned about Akers’ ball security, but Michel isn’t going to overtake Akers as the starter.

This is just a way to add some experience and depth to a position that only had four players heading into training camp.

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Puka Nacua, Zach Evans named as Day 3 picks that could make immediate impact

The Athletic’s Nick Baumgardner mentioned Puka Nacua and Zach Evans as Day 3 picks that could make immediate impacts for the Rams in 2023.

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The Los Angeles Rams made 14 total selections in the 2023 NFL draft and two of their picks in the final three rounds were Puka Nacua and Zach Evans. The Athletic’s Nick Baumgardner named his Day 3 draft sleepers who could contribute immediately and both Nacua and Evans were highlighted.

Here is part of what Baumgardner had to say about Nacua ahead of his rookie campaign:

When he’s healthy, though, he’s one of the best in this class at tracking the ball. He’s a very confident athlete who isn’t afraid to compete in the air — and he has the frame (6-1, 210) to do so. Nacua runs routes with great quickness but stays under control. He also adjusts to poor throws and maintains his feet near the sideline, and he finds soft spots in zones with consistency.

He could be a QB-friendly receiver for Matthew Stafford and the Rams. Receivers like Nacua who understand how to get open and aren’t afraid to play through contact tend to do just fine in the league.

The Rams picked Nacua with the 177th overall pick in the fifth round out of BYU. Despite having injury concerns in college, Nacua flashed upside as a versatile wideout that could be deployed in a variety of ways (he had 39 rushing attempts for 357 yards and five touchdowns in two seasons at BYU).

With Cooper Kupp and Van Jefferson expected to hold the top two spots on the depth chart, Nacua could instantly compete for a role in the offense at the wide receiver position. Tutu Atwell and Ben Skowronek are the other wide receivers that will be competing for a starting spot.

Meanwhile, Evans made Baumgardner’s “others to watch” list. Evans, a sixth-round pick out of Ole Miss, is a big-play running back that averaged 7.3 yards per touch in his three collegiate seasons.

Considering that Cam Akers has struggled to generate yards consistently at the NFL level, and Kyren Williams didn’t receive much usage as a rookie in 2022, Evans could carve out a role sooner rather than later.

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