Rams pre-season & inter-team practices

10 Observations from Rams’ first 2024 joint practice: Plenty of learning opportunities for offense vs. Chargers defense

Stu Jackson

https://www.therams.com/news/10-observations-from-rams-first-2024-joint-practice-plenty-of-learning-opportunities-for-offense-vs-chargers-defense

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – The Rams conducted their first joint practice of the 2024 preseason on Sunday, hosted by the Chargers at their facility. Overall, the day was characterized by a Rams offensive performance that head coach Sean McVay indicated wasn’t up to that unit’s standards, plus extensive work on the new kickoff format.

Before diving into those items, some important context:

For this first joint practice, I spent the majority of the time watching the Rams offense. Given the health situation with the Rams’ offensive line – starters Alaric Jackson (ankle), Jonah Jackson (shoulder) and Rob Havenstein (ankle) are all currently week-to-week – I was primarily interested in seeing how that unit would perform against a Chargers pass rush led by edges Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack.

The Chargers this past Thursday (Aug. 1) announced quarterback Justin Herbert was “diagnosed with an injury to the plantar fascia in his right foot”; thus, he did not participate in Sunday’s joint practice. Backup Easton Stick instead led the Chargers’ first-team offense against the Rams’ first-team defense.

With that in mind, here are 10 things that stood out from the session:

1) Puka Nacua exits practice early with unspecified injury: McVay post-practice said he’s “not sure” what happened to the second-year wide receiver and didn’t have an update.

2) Braden Fiske also exits practice early and doesn’t return, but only for precautionary reasons: According to McVay, this was because the team wanted to play it safe with the rookie defensive tackle after Fiske got “a blister the size of his foot.”

3) Deflections and bat-downs: Both Rams quarterbacks passes that were deflected and batted down; Matthew Stafford had two interceptions that were caused by passes deflected by one Chargers defensive back and corralled by another.

On another play, Stafford completed a short pass to rookie running back Blake Corum, who fumbled the ball after making a move upfield and having the ball knocked loose by a Chargers defender.

“Our job is to be able to get this roster ready to go, and we’re going to continue to focus on that,” McVay said post-practice. “But make no mistake about it, some of the things I saw, particularly offensively, got way higher standards, all right, than what we looked like today, consistently down in and down out.”

4) Good test for McClendon: Warren McClendon Jr. has been filling in for Havenstein at right tackle, and he faced a stable of venerable pass-rushers between Bosa, Mack, Bud Dupree and Tuli Tuipulotu.

Given he’s watching all 22 players and usually focused on what the defense is doing, he said he’d be able to better evaluate McClendon after getting the chance to watch film. At first glance, though, McVay thought McClendon “did some good things when he was at the point of attack.”

“But anytime you go against premier players like that, and then bud Dupree and Tuli are also rotating on their edges, they got four guys that are legit players,” McVay said. “So I think that’s excellent. You know, I think Warren is continuing to mature, but I’ll go back and look at it. But there were some good things, and then there’ll be some things that when I’m just isolating on him, when you have a chance to slow it down – my eyes are sometimes in some different place.”

5) Extended look at the new kickoff format: A good chunk of time was understandably spent on the new hybrid kickoff format. The Rams kicked first in the first period of that work, then returned kicks in the second period of it. The Rams experimented with lots of different tandems at returner – up to two are allowed inside the 20.

McVay said post-practice that the preseason will not give teams an indication of what this kickoff looks like, given teams that may have some creative schematic things planned likely won’t show it.

6) One hand: While the offense had its challenges, there were still some good moments. Tight end Colby Parkinson and wide receiver Demarcus Robinson each made an impressive one-handed catch near the sideline during team drills.

7) Stafford to Nacua and Allen: One play that drew some “ooohhs” from the crowd was a laser Stafford fired over the middle to Nacua, who quickly snared the ball out of the air to make the catch during team drills.

Stafford also had an impressive completion to tight end Davis Allen in redzone work, fitting the ball through a tight window to get it to him. Allen got crunched by Chargers defenders but still held on.

8) Kinchens continues to string strong practices together: Rookie defensive back Kam Kinchens had a takeaway in each of the Rams’ final two training camp practices; on Sunday, he was in coverage denying a Stick deep ball down the sideline.

9) Intercepted by Curl: Defensive back Kamren Curl came up with an interception on a separate deep pass by Stick during team drills.

10) Redirecting: Corum did have a nice run during team drills where he initially went right, then cut back left for a big gain.

Stafford said overall he felt like the Rams’ running backs did a great job of finding creases when they got their opportunities on Sunday.

…

Ten Rams takeaways after conclusion of training camp, first joint practice

Jourdan Rodrigue

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5685024/2024/08/07/la-rams-camp-takeaways-matthew-stafford-braden-fiske/?source=emp_shared_article

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Yes, you read that dateline correctly.

The Los Angeles Rams are back at their (former?) temporary (yet still lingering?) practice facilities for at least a little while longer since permitting delays have kept them out of their new (also semi-permanent) facilities in Woodland Hills, Calif.

Trudging up the snakehole-pockmarked front drive in 94-degree heat only reiterated the point: Training camp is over. The real “dog days” are here. This time last year was when head coach Sean McVay really built his 2023 team, which far exceeded the expectations placed upon it entering the season. Between grueling days at Cal Lutheran — importantly, away from fans’ cell phone videos and prying eyes — and upcoming joint practices with Dallas, Houston and again with the Chargers, these semi-nomadic Rams will get their most crucial schematic and conditioning work of the entire year throughout the next two weeks.

Training camp at Loyola Marymount, plus their first joint practice in El Segundo, Calif., against the Chargers, still provided a lot to chew on. Here are 10 things I think:

1. I think I’m more worried about ankle injuries to offensive linemen — and starting left guard Jonah Jackson’s shoulder — than I am about receiver Puka Nacua’s knee.

McVay confirmed that Nacua will be week-to-week after landing on a bursa sac (a small fluid pocket in the knee) and bursting it during Sunday’s joint practice. He expects Nacua to be ready not just for the season opener against Detroit, but also for the game prep beforehand.

“Nothing serious, nothing structurally — he’ll be in good shape and he’ll recover,” McVay said after Tuesday’s practice. “We’ll be ready to go, no threat of anything for Detroit.”

McVay was less definitive about the three injured starters on the offensive line — left tackle Alaric Jackson (ankle), right tackle Rob Havenstein (ankle) and Jonah Jackson.

“I’m going to take it a little bit at a time,” said McVay, when I asked him whether he believes all three linemen would be back by the opener. “I certainly am not ruling that out, so that’s a good thing.”

Backup right tackle Warren McClendon is playing through an ankle injury (also suffered Sunday). Depth guard KT Leveston has an ankle injury as well, and left Sunday’s practice in a walking boot after accidental contact from a teammate. The Rams signed tackles Conor McDermott and Matt Kaskey, and interior lineman Alec Lindstrom on Tuesday.

2. I think the Rams’ safeties are going to be very, very good.

Because Kam Curl has a huge range at the position, and because the Rams could field veteran John Johnson III or rookie Kam Kinchens (who really put things together in the final few days of camp) alongside him, they can deploy Quentin Lake in a variety of roles including where he showed major potential in 2023: dime linebacker and “Star.” They have depth here, too, because Johnson or Kinchens could back up a more traditional two-high look between Lake and Curl, while giving Lake position flexibility when they get on the field. All of the safeties have been making plays and covering a lot of ground in practice. That speaks to one of the strengths of defensive coordinator Chris Shula, who used to coach the position and help scouts with talent identification.

3. I think after this season quarterback Matthew Stafford will either come back to the table with the Rams, or work with them to explore his options elsewhere.

The recent adjustment to Stafford’s contract (which prevented a holdout), per Over the Cap, moved $5 million forward from 2025 and lowered the cap charge for 2024 by $3.33 million, although his cap number is $46.1 million. Stafford also received $40 million fully guaranteed at signing (which includes his $23.5 million salary in 2024), and a $4 million roster bonus in 2025.

Functionally, while the contract guarantees more guaranteed money this year, it leaves future years much more up in the air. If Stafford stays healthy and plays well in 2024, he could re-negotiate again with the Rams and I believe they would be open to that — although within reason in accordance with their own salary cap. The team will have multiple contracts coming due after the 2025 season, including starting center Steve Avila, starting defensive linemen Kobie Turner and Byron Young, and starting receiver Nacua. They will have to seriously consider how much they are willing to pay a quarterback who will be 38 years old entering the 2026 season.

However. I believe that Stafford’s camp leaking to NFL Network back in April that he wanted more guaranteed money on his deal (equating to more guaranteed years), which McVay confirmed was true at that time, was a signal to the Rams and 31 other teams that Stafford feels he will earn those guarantees for multiple seasons with his play. If he doesn’t stay healthy in 2024, that mindset could change. But if he feels good, I think he will want to play football — and he’ll be able to find a fit, whether in L.A. or elsewhere.

4. I think Braden Fiske had the best training camp of any Rams player (but that certainly doesn’t take away from a strong showing by rookie outside linebacker Jared Verse).

Camp obviously started with no pads. So I watched Fiske’s feet (ultra-fast) and hands (usually correct in their placement and leverage). When pads came on, Fiske was as-advertised and used a combination of speed, technical work and power to make multiple plays each day. Meanwhile, Verse’s size and speed make him look like a seasoned professional. The Rams have three outside linebackers who impressed in camp (Verse, Byron Young and Michael Hoecht) and on the inside, Fiske and Turner are playing well together while Bobby Brown III has also had a solid camp. Desjuan Johnson’s play energy also stands out, though he will always have a steep hill to climb as a former “Mr. Irrelevant” draft pick.

5. I think the Rams need to do what they can to keep Avila at center, despite health concerns along the line.

Avila has spent the entire offseason working at understanding the position as a professional player, though previously excelled there in college. McVay said the Rams aren’t afraid of potentially moving him back to left guard as needed, in light of injuries and depth concerns at multiple positions along the offensive line. Avila told me he has gotten a much better grasp of all of the calls and adjustments he needs to make as a center, and he and Stafford have not had any issues with the exchange overall.

But it’s one thing to get a handle on a position change that significant, and another to build confidence and even an edge at the position against live opponents. Avila will be a franchise offensive lineman for the Rams, but in my opinion consistency and sustainability at such a core position is good for both team and player. Just because they can move him, doesn’t mean they should.

6. I think inside linebacker is far too thin behind Ernest Jones.

Jones is backed up by Christian Rozeboom and Troy Reeder, both of whom have plenty of experience but in a vacuum would not be full-time players. Jake Hummel has a lot of speed, while Olakunle Fatukasi, the second-year linebacker out of Rutgers, has notable size at the position and has flashed potential more than once.

7. I think injuries elsewhere and a very strong tight ends room will continue to push McVay toward more 12 and 13 personnel.

The Rams have three versatile tight ends, all who were very active either in rotation or combination throughout camp. Even when the linemen return, helping them onboard back into active games may mean they get more help from capable blockers at tight end and receiver, and without Nacua on the field right now Stafford will look for other targets — he clearly trusts Colby Parkinson and Davis Allen.

8. I think I can handicap the wide receivers room, if the season started today:

Cooper Kupp, Nacua, Demarcus Robinson, Tutu Atwell, Jordan Whittington, Tyler Johnson, Xavier Smith.

The Rams may only need to roster three tight ends for now, because Tyler Higbee (Physically Unable to Perform list) is expected to return middle-to-late season. For that reason, they potentially could get away with sneaking Smith onto the initial roster. He has had a great camp and could be a return specialist.

This is a crucial year for Atwell to make his presence more felt on the field in a consistent manner. The Rams received trade calls on Atwell ahead of last year’s deadline, multiple league sources said at the time.

9. I think the Rams could keep four running backs on the roster, because veteran Boston Scott and third-year player Ronnie Rivers are solid depth behind Kyren Williams and Blake Corum, and also because Scott and Rivers excel on special teams.

10. I think the Rams have found their kicker.

At LMU, the kicking unit was usually on the makeshift partial field behind the main field and out of the view of fans and reporters. Only Sunday and Tuesday (and moving forward, now that the Rams are back at CLU) could rookie Josh Karty truly be observed. He did not miss a kick on either of the two days — 7-of-7 from a variety of distances including 48-plus and 50-plus yards. Time will tell how he (or any kicker) will handle the new kickoff.

10 Observations from Rams’ joint practice with Cowboys: Pass rush, DB Kam Kinchens stand out

Stu Jackson

https://www.therams.com/news/10-observations-rams-joint-practice-cowboys-pass-rush-db-kam-kinchens-stand-out

OXNARD, Calif. – The Rams headed up the 101 freeway to the Cowboys’ training camp site for a joint practice Thursday, one that featured extensive team work with some individual drills and special teams mixed in. Los Angeles’ pass rush had some nice moments throughout, and defensive back Kam Kinchens continued to shine.

Before diving into those items and others, some important context:

For the second joint practice, I spent the majority of the time watching the Rams defense, given they would be going against a Cowboys offense led by QB Dak Prescott with a few experienced pieces around him.

Dallas’ offense was missing wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, who remains in a holdout with the Cowboys over his contract. Additionally, their offensive line was without All-Pro guard Zack Martin, who is also in a contract stalemate. That being said, Dallas’ starting five still features what Trench Warfare publisher and OL/DL analyst Brandon Thorn regards as one of the NFL’s elite guards in Tyler Smith (top 15 left guard) and a top-15 right tackle in Terence Steele.
With that in mind, here are 10 things that stood out from the session:

1) Kinchens’ physicality, concept recognition on display: The rookie defensive back on one play broke up a Cooper Rush pass that resulted in the deflected ball getting corralled by Rams linebacker Troy Reeder for the interception. He also delivered a big hit that drew some “ooohhhs” from the crowd.

2) Pass rush gets after it: The Rams were able to consistently apply pressure on Prescott throughout the afternoon. On some plays, that resulted in incompletions on all three levels of the field; on others, Prescott would be flushed out of the pocket but still manage to complete the pass out of structure. In the latter situations, Prescott connected most often with wide receiver Brandin Cooks.

3) Self-TD: The most interesting play of the day was Stafford collecting his own pass as it bounced off one Cowboys defender’s hand, then another’s helmet to score a touchdown.

4) Put it in re-Verse: During one-on-ones, Rams rookie outside linebacker Jared Verse bull-rushed Cowboys offensive lineman Asim Richards with so much power, Richards fell on his back. On the very next rep – these were conducted back-to-back – Verse won with ease, and using a different move than the bull-rush.

5) No blocking B.Y.: Second-year outside linebacker Byron Young decisively won each of his pass-rush reps in 1-on-1s and had arguably the best performance of any Rams player in that drill. He was also consistently generating pressure in team drills.

6) Skirmishes die down quickly: There were a few – all on the field with the Rams defense and Cowboys offense – but they dissolved fairly quickly, seemingly aware of the potential consequences.

7) Forced fumble: Besides Kinchens and Reeder’s play, another takeaway generated by the Rams defense came when defensive back Quentin Lake ripped the ball loose from wide receiver Jalen Cropper’s grasp after Cropper caught a pass from Prescott and moved upfield.

8) Good day for WR Demarcus Robinson: One of his best catches came on a back-shoulder fade that resulted in a touchdown in the corner of the endzone.

9) Offensive line gets another good test: The Rams again were without Alaric Jackson (ankle), Jonah Jackson (shoulder) and Rob Havenstein (ankle), so Joe Noteboom, Zach Thomas and Warren McClendon Jr. were once again tested by a pair of experienced pass-rushers in the Cowboys’ Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence.

Parsons in particular was used all over the Cowboys’ formation by defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer.

“We were saying, ‘wherever he (Parsons) is, you find him and you slide to him,'” Rams head coach Sean McVay said post-practice. “I mean, we didn’t game plan. I thought they did a really good job of having him in a variety of spots, but it’s a good test, you know. And I think DeMarcus Lawrence is an excellent player, and they’ve got some good players on the interior. They got excellent players on the second and third level.”

10) DT Braden Fiske leaves practice early after getting poked in the eye: That’s what McVay said he was told by Rams Vice President of Communications Artis Twyman after practice.

10 Observations from Rams’ third 2024 joint practice: Extended look at Kyren Williams and Blake Corum against Cowboys defense; Ernest Jones IV returns

Stu Jackson & Wyatt Miller

https://www.therams.com/news/10-observations-rams-third-2024-joint-practice-extended-look-kyren-williams-blake-corum-against-cowboys-defense-ernest-jones-iv-returns

OXNARD, Calif. – The Rams conducted their second joint practice with the Cowboys and third of the 2024 preseason overall on Wednesday, a session that featured the return of linebacker Ernest Jones IV (knee) and more reps for Jimmy Garoppolo and Stetson Bennett at quarterback with Matthew Stafford sitting out the second half of practice for precautionary reasons due to hamstring tightness.

Senior staff writer Stu Jackson watched the Rams’ offense on Wednesday, while writing intern Wyatt Miller focused on the Rams’ defense.

Here are 10 things that stood out from the session:

1) Rams decide to be smart with Stafford: A team spokesperson said hamstring tightness led to Stafford’s participation in practice being shortened, but sitting him was just a precautionary measure. As a result, Garoppolo finished practice running the first-team offense while Bennett ran the second-team offense.

2) Threading the needle: Before watching the second half of practice, Stafford was sharp in the first half. One of his best throws came on a mid-range throw to wide receiver Demarcus Robinson, who made an impressive grab near the sideline for the catch.

3) Leaning on the run game: It was unclear if this was by design pre-resting Stafford or not, but L.A.’s offense took a run-heavy approach with both its first-team and second-team. Thus, Wednesday offered an extended look at the Rams running backs, especially Kyren Williams and Blake Corum.

First, some key context: Both teams once again used “thud” tackling, or tackling with the intent of still keeping players on their feet, so it’s difficult to get a full evaluation of the run game.

With that in mind, Williams had a couple of nice touchdown runs inside the 10-yard line in 11-on-11 redzone work. In non-redzone 11-on-11 drills, both Williams and Corum did a good job of pressing and hitting creases to make plays.

4) WR Jordan Whittington picking up where he left off: The rookie made a couple impressive catches over the middle in 11-on-11.

“That’s still conversations we’re going to have because as valuable as the preseason is in those games when it’s real and coaches are off the field, these practices are equally as important to us because we’re trying some things,” said offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur, when asked if the coaching staff pulls back a young player’s involvement when a young player like Whittington shows he can play at this level. “There’s more movement and stuff like that that’s more like our offense. All those discussions will always be fluid. It can change (from) day to day. It can change based on who’s available (and) who’s not available. We’ll keep it going from there.”

5) WR Tyler Johnson shines in 2-minute drill: In that segment, with Garoppolo leaning the first-team offense, Johnson caught three consecutive passes to help move the Rams offense downfield.

Defense

6) Edge rushers back up the talk again: Rookie Jared Verse and second-year player Byron Young both had explosive days against the Dallas offensive tackles. They got to the quarterback consistently, tallying would-be sacks (quarterbacks were wearing red no-contact jerseys) and forcing Dak Prescott out of the pocket. Verse was extremely vocal when either of them got through the Dallas protection, as he was during their joint practice last week.

7) Aaron Donald gives advice to Braden Fiske: Aaron Donald attended the joint practice sporting a gray tank top instead of pads and a jersey. Defensive coordinator Chris Shula said that Donald gave rookie defensive tackle Braden Fiske some advice during practice. It seemed to pay off, as Fiske fought his way into the backfield on several plays.

8) Ernest Jones IV returns to practice: Linebacker Ernest Jones IV made his presence felt in more ways than one in his return to practice. The 2023 captain got into the backfield for a would-be sack on Dak Prescott and then, on the very next play, just missed a leaping interception over the middle.

“You just feel his energy, his leadership, he gets guys running to the ball,” Shula said.

9) Tre’Davious White sees lots of targets: Veteran cornerback Tre’Davious White was targeted quite a bit on Wednesday and showed why he was an All-Pro player with the Buffalo Bills. Multiple deep balls came his way, but White was step-for-step with the Dallas wideouts throughout practice.

10) Quentin Lake makes big tackles: Manning the “star” position, Quinten Lake’s tackling ability is hugely significant. On Wednesday, Lake leveled Jalen Brooks to jar the ball loose near the end of practice and made a nice one-on-one tackle in front of the pylon during the red zone period.