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znModeratorRams' Puka Nacua is learning a lot from new teammate Davante Adams https://t.co/vCgfLHrWyd
— Gary Klein (@LATimesklein) June 4, 2025
znModeratorRams are the last team Mina looks at in the vid
They emphasize Ford, which is a good point. It’s worth noting that to work on the same problem–run defense–the Rams also signed or acquired Nat Landman, Chris Paul, and Shaun Dolac.
So we’ll see if time will tell.
Mina, it should be noted, made no literary references. No Monkey’s Paw, no nuthin. Yet another sign that civilization is collapsing.
znModeratorRams’ New Additions Have Made an Impression on Sean McVay
https://www.si.com/nfl/rams/terrance-ferguson-oregon-ducks-los-angeles-sean-mcvay
The Los Angeles Rams have had an eventful offseason. Following the Rams’ Organized Team Activities, Sean McVay gave an update on rookie tight end Terrance Ferguson.
“Terrance has been good. Really today was the first day that we could do 11-on-11. These guys got here a couple weeks ago, seen a guy that’s been really attentive in meetings, got a really good feel. Really, it’s routes on air, and then what we saw today, which is a limited body of work, but just been really impressed with him and really the rookie class as a whole,” McVay said.
“Our vets have done a good job welcoming these guys with open arms, but looking forward to seeing him just continue to take it a step at a time. (Tight Ends Coach Scott) “Scooter” Huff does a great job with our tight ends. So far, so good.”
McVay has been in search of a talented tight end for a while. It appears he may have finally found one in Terrance Ferguson. Kyle Crabbs of the 33rd Team noted a few of the things Ferguson does well and some things he needs to work on.
“Ferguson’s body control shows up on passes that are on his back hip, down low that he must dig out, and high and over the rim. He’s capable of elevating, and his basketball background is apparent in how he can attack the football,” Crabbs said.
“With that said, he’s surprisingly inefficient in contested targets. While he shows good concentration, Ferguson can be jarred and disrupted through his frame and could be a more consistent “box out” presence at the catch point. He converted just 36 percent of his contested targets throughout his four-year career with the [Oregon] Ducks.”
Crabbs believes Ferguson can eventually grow into a significant contributor under McVay’s guidance. If he can do so, it would be another serviceable weapon at McVay’s disposal. After expressing a desire to be more explosive on offense, the Rams may have accomplished that goal.
“He’s a straight-line athlete with good body fluidity, but his creativity with the ball in his hands is fairly modest. There aren’t a lot of rumbling runs through the secondary, and he can be tripped up and brought down by contact that other big-bodied pass catches may have success running through instead,” Crabbs said.
znModerator10 Observations from Rams’ second open 2025 OTA practice: Tutu Atwell capitalizing on opportunities, Emmanuel Forbes’ playmaking and Terrance Ferguson’s touchdown catch
Stu Jackson
WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. – The Rams held their second OTA practice on Tuesday. Wide receiver Tutu Atwell made the most of the opportunities that went his way, cornerback Emmanuel Forbes Jr. effectively picked up where he left off in the first OTA practice, and rookie tight end Terrance Ferguson had one of the best catches of the day.
Here are some of the notes and observations from it:
1) Foundational context: As mentioned in the first 10 observations of the spring, Los Angeles mixes it up in team drills with the projected first-team offense facing the projected second-team defense, the projected second-team offense facing the projected first-team defense, and so on.
2) Atwell’s reliable hands: The fifth-year wide receiver made noise in the first OTA practice for hauling in a deep touchdown pass from quarterback Matthew Stafford, but today it was for his success on the other end of Stafford’s short and intermediate throws, catching the first four passes thrown his way.
3) Forbes continues to shine: A pass breakup early in team drills on a Jimmy Garoppolo pass intended for rookie wide receiver Mario Williams drew praise from head coach Sean McVay afterward. Between that moment and Forbes’ interception in the first OTA practice, the third-year cornerback has impressed this spring.
4) Stafford sharp: What you’d expect from a 17-year veteran quarterback, but the biggest example of this was the way he threaded the needed between multiple defenders for his first completion to Atwell. He later had a pinpoint throw to wide receiver Britain Covey in team drills.
5) Play of the day: Stafford connecting with tight end Terrance Ferguson on a back-shoulder throw in the corner of the end zone for a touchdown during the team’s competitive “mamba” period during red zone drills.
6) Play of the day, Part II: After misconnecting with running back Kyren Williams on a potential touchdown, Stafford zipped the ball through a tight window over the middle to tight end Tyler Higbee for the touchdown the very next play in that same mamba period.
7) Almost: Veteran cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon nearly came up with an interception on the very first play of team drills when Garoppolo’s pass went through wide receiver Britain Covey’s hands and almost into his.
8) Almost, Part II: Forbes was also active in the mamba period, nearly picking off a juggled pass.
9) Fiske in action: Defensive end Braden Fiske was an active participant in Tuesday’s workout.
“He’s been awesome, he’s gotten out there on the grass, taken a few reps these last few days, and he just looks like himself,” defensive coordinator Chris Shula said.
10) Another special guest in attendance: Rams legend and former left tackle Andrew Whitworth was on hand for Tuesday’s workout, taking some time to give pointers to the offensive linemen before watching practice from the sidelines.
znModeratorFamiliar face at OTAs today. 👀 pic.twitter.com/zGfex1UVf0
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) June 3, 2025
znModeratorMcVay is a great coach. I’m just wondering if McVay’s burnout issues are not just about losing games. But maybe also about the fact that so many built-in dynamics almost force coaches to be full of shit.
That wasn’t so grumpy.
This doesn’t address your points, which I take as well put and right on, but I’m just adding on to the general conversation. I think Rodrigue kind of avoids a lot of the dynamic of 2022. They couldn’t achieve anything because of injuries. It was a year when nothing went right for McV, something that had never really happened to him before–and the psychology of his reaction that season was kind of telling. He basically wanted it to all come from him and then got impatient with others when that didn’t work. As a coach, he may have learned from all that, because they came out of a 1-4 start in 2024 and found their footing. He was more resilient and found ways to make the team more resilient in 2024. Early 2024 was because of OL injuries too.
My issues are not as far-ranging or searching as WV’s. There is no solution to the capitalist game inside the NFL game, except to end that capitalist game. I voted to end it, but, no one listened.
…
znModeratorI could share my feelings on this, but i would come across as a grumpy, bitter, old communist. So i will spare the board.
I’d rather hear it. GBOCs can speak up if they want.
There is no question McV is a product of privilege.
But I will say that the team handled the BLM summer well, where the team was encouraged to listen to players who had had negative experiences.
June 3, 2025 at 7:52 am in reply to: interviews: Verse, Avila, Fiske, Dotson, Higbee, Turner, Lake x 2, Nacua, Whit #156682znModeratorJune 2, 2025 at 9:22 pm in reply to: interviews: Verse, Avila, Fiske, Dotson, Higbee, Turner, Lake x 2, Nacua, Whit #156679znModeratorznModeratorPanthers released some excellent behind-the-scenes footage of the 2025 NFL Draft
including their negotiations with the Rams, who wanted to move up from No. 26 to No. 8 pic.twitter.com/gs3suGdISP
— Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) June 2, 2025
June 2, 2025 at 11:14 am in reply to: interviews: Verse, Avila, Fiske, Dotson, Higbee, Turner, Lake x 2, Nacua, Whit #156677znModeratorznModeratori’ve read mcvay saying really positive things about whittington. this report has good things to say about mumpfield. i haven’t read anything on atwell, but competition for the third wr looks like something to look for in training camp. each seem to bring different skills. but also ferguson should be competing with those three for reps. that’ll be fun to keep track of.
Receiver 3 could be a circus, with different players in there constantly–Atwell and Whittington at least, and maybe Mumpfield even as a rookie. Add in Ferguson as a move TE, as you said, and we could see a lot of new wrinkles.
The problem is outside speed. Whittington and Mumpfield are not burners.
znModeratorRams only have one unsigned 2025 draft pick after inking Jarquez Hunter https://t.co/Tb2Ym8Qztu pic.twitter.com/9IyECKFZUx
— Rams Wire (@TheRamsWire) June 2, 2025
znModeratorznModeratorWarren Sharp@SharpFootball
highest % of receiver error causing incompletions1. Green Bay Packers
2. New York Jets
3. Indianapolis Colts
4. New York Giants
5. Cleveland Browns
6. Los Angeles Chargers
7. New Orleans Saints
8. Pittsburgh Steelers
9. Atlanta Falcons
10. Carolina Panthers
11. Houston Texans
12. Tennessee Titans
13. Dallas Cowboys
14. Cincinnati Bengals
15. Denver Broncos
16. Washington Commanders
17. Jacksonville Jaguars
18. San Francisco 49ers
19. Baltimore Ravens
20. Minnesota Vikings
21. Buffalo Bills
22. Miami Dolphins
23. Chicago Bears
24. Kansas City Chiefs
25. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
26. New England Patriots
27. Arizona Cardinals
28. Philadelphia Eagles
29. Seattle Seahawks
30. Los Angeles Rams
31. Las Vegas Raiders
32. Detroit Lions*2024 percentage of attempts incomplete due to receiver errors
…
NFL analyst Warren Sharp calculated each team’s percentage of incompletions caused by the receiver, which he categorized as “receiver drops, lost control at the ground, didn’t get both feet inbounds but should have, fell down, etc.” The Rams ranked No. 30 among all NFL teams.
June 1, 2025 at 7:26 pm in reply to: interviews: Verse, Avila, Fiske, Dotson, Higbee, Turner, Lake x 2, Nacua, Whit #156614znModeratorznModeratorAs per the previous post
from PFF Running Back Rankings: Top 32 ahead of the 2025 NFL season https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-running-back-rankings-top-32-ahead-of-2025-nfl-season?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=dhtwitter&utm_content=null
10. KYREN WILLIAMS, LOS ANGELES RAMS
Williams’ 2024 PFF rushing grade (74.3) wasn’t all that impressive, but he rushed for more than 1,400 yards and generated the fourth-highest PFF WAR figure among running backs, helped by having seven games where he earned a PFF pass-blocking grade above 80.0.znModeratorHighest-paid WRs by annual average:
Ja’Marr Chase – $40.3M
Justin Jefferson – $35M
CeeDee Lamb – $34M
DK Metcalf – $33.0M
AJ Brown – $32M
Amon-Ra St. Brown – $30M
Brandon Aiyuk – $30M
Tyreek Hill – $30M
Tee Higgins – $28.8M
Jaylen Waddle – $28.3M— NFL Stats (@NFL_Stats) June 1, 2025
znModeratorThe Top 10 RBs in the NFL today 💪 pic.twitter.com/CtrQm3dFvn
— PFF (@PFF) May 29, 2025
znModeratorRising Rams Player Has Caught McVay’s Attention in OTAs
https://www.si.com/nfl/rams/los-angeles-jordan-whittington-sean-mcvay-matthew-stafford-davante-adams
The Los Angeles Rams’ offseason has been filled with notable additions. The Rams have added talent across the board, as they aim to pick up where they left off last season. After a disappointing playoff loss that was nearly a win, the Rams look poised to march back to the postseason.
The Rams’ roster has taken strides this offseason. Los Angeles has many new faces, but a player who was already on the roster has arrived at Organized Team Activities exceptionally prepared.
Rams Head Coach Sean McVay credited second-year wide receiver Jordan Whittington with a strong showing in OTAs.
“It’s funny, I was just talking to him out on the field. What I think is great is when guys put the work in and they just continue to show I’m getting better and better and I’m creating value, whether that’s on teams or whether that’s doing a great job within his role as a receiver, you can see the accumulation of experiences led to a confidence, ability to be able to fill in when needed,” McVay said.
“Thought he had a really good day today. You can see he’s just got a real comfort level in terms of what’s being asked. What’s the intent of some of these plays? What are the route nuances, and where do I fit within these concepts? And so I’ve just been really proud of the progress, the maturity. But when you talk to people, going back to his time at Texas, this is who he’s been. He’s been all that and more with us, and today was an excellent step in the right direction for him.”
McVay reportedly entered the offseason desiring to make the Rams’ offense more explosive. The addition of Davante Adams undoubtedly helps make that happen. However, Matthew Stafford has a history of assisting lesser-known wide receivers to excel. He will need to do so again this season.
The Rams have one of the best rosters in the league, but it will take every player on the roster to help Los Angeles make the type of postseason run many believe they are capable of. They have one of the best head coaches and quarterbacks in the league to help make it happen.
Still, up-and-coming players like Whittington will be vital to the Rams’ chances of success this upcoming season. The future looks bright in Los Angeles; time will tell how bright that future is.
znModerator3 Observations on Rams OTA No. 1
https://www.si.com/nfl/rams/konata-mumpfield-los-angeles-sean-mcvay-emmanuel-forbes-davante-adams
The Los Angeles Rams were flying at OTAs and we were on sight to observe it all. Here are three observations from Wednesday’s activities.
1. Konata Mumpfield made himself known
Konata Mumpfield was absolutely brilliant on the day. He showed off his ball tracking skills on an underthrown pass by Jimmy Garoppolo, but it was a constant ability to snatch balls out of the sky that truly exemplified how he dazzled.
Mumpfield was consistent in his approach and execution, putting together some great film as he battles for his opportunities.
Mumpfield is a legitimate NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate. His skills from college have not only translated, but with improved quarterback play, those skills have evolved. His candidacy will likely depend not on whether he’s able to execute on opportunities, but is more dependent on opportunities being called to come his way.
2. The Defensive Back room is putting in the work
Sean McVay made sure to mention how important it was to have Ahkello Witherspoon at OTAs. Witherspoon missed the last two OTAs despite being on the Rams roster during the 2023 and 2024 season as both times he was signed after the start of the regular season.
McVay also commented on Cobie Durant’s development while Emmanuel Forbes and Shaun Jolly made interceptions during team periods. Jolly intercepted a pass, making an athletic grab while diving to the ground after the receiver in front of him slipped, while Forbes was in the right position to not only snag the ball but stayed on his feet to make a return.
Jolly is fighting for a spot on the 53-man roster while Forbes looks to improve after not meeting expectations with the Washington Commanders and failing to break into the Rams’ defense due to his late arrival to the team.
3. Davante Adams is simply that dude.
Adams is already a favorite of Matthew Stafford as the two men work to develop their consistency and chemistry. Adams made play after play, notably using his body to box out Derion Kendrick on a bullet fired towards him. Perhaps Stafford has modern versions of Calvin Johnson and Cooper Kupp in Adams and Puka Nacua.
Adams and the offense took care of business in practice, but in the same breath, defensive coordinator Chris Shula and assistant head coach Aubrey Pleasant had the defense humming, flying to the ball. It was a great day of iron sharpening iron with effort levels going through the roof.
znModeratorSeems able to make catches on passes that are off target.
[his lateral quickness] should also help getting in and out his cuts when running routes and help him get separation from defenders.
I watched the vid of this guy in this thread. Just highlights, I know. Still. He reminds me a bit of Odell Beckham jr.
znModeratorhere are his agility numbers.
short shuttle – 4.19s
three cone – 6.77sEvery year, I plead ignorance with NFL draft agility numbers.
If you would be so kind, please explain what those numbers mean.
And please be patient with me when I do the same thing again next year.
znModeratorAaron Donald’s Top Career Plays
znModeratorConsidering the state of the position, the undrafted Shaun Dolac may have as much of a chance to make their roster and possibly contribute as Paul does.
from https://www.the33rdteam.com/shaun-dolac-2025-nfl-draft-scouting-report/
Scouting Overview
Buffalo Bulls linebacker Shaun Dolac is an instinctive playmaker who has done well to maximize his abilities, thanks to excellent football IQ and underrated athleticism. He’s not a big linebacker, and his pro projection is muddied by his lack of length and lack of mass.
Still, there have been enough successful linebackers out of this mold as of late that suggest he’s got a puncher’s chance of fulfilling his potential at the pro level. That potential? A three-down starter. Dolac is tougher than his size and plays a frantic brand of football.
Positives
Play by play tackle machine with a career missed tackle rate of 7.5%
Productive middle-of-the-field zone defender with good eyes to drop into secondary throwing windows
Loose hips and a low center of gravity make for fluid changes of direction in spaceNegatives
For being an undersized talent, he’s not the most explosive or twitchy player
Played in just four games in 2023 before a season-ending injury and then finished 2024 with an elbow brace
Will be a 24-year-old rookie in September while coming from the MACTale Of The Tape
Dolac is a cerebral linebacker who has been the big fish in a small pond during his three-year run of terror through the MAC. There’s an obvious transition ahead of him, and he may not have the ideal traits to fit as a universal stack linebacker for every scheme.
However, his 2024 season showcased capable zone coverage work over the middle. Dolac offered good peripheral vision to feel routes crossing through his zone landmarks and enough mobility to flash and take away throwing windows.
He was disciplined with his eyes while plastering receivers and made additional plays on the football at the catch point. He lacks length and an explosive burst to jump throwing windows and will be more opponent error-oriented, but his anticipation of longer, developing routes in traffic could still yield opportunities.
As a run defender, Dolac offers Energizer Bunny effort and pursuit to the football. He’s the fastest-moving player on the field once the play declares, and he takes angles that allow him to hawk down ball carriers or otherwise press them out of bounds. Despite his size and lack of length, he was credited with a 5 percent missed tackle rate in 2024 and has success in the open field and at the line of scrimmage plugging gaps.
It is fair to question whether Dolac is properly suited for racing downhill against bigger ball carriers. His size will always be a natural barrier that he will need to circumvent with good form and proper hat placement.
Dolac will also need to ensure he’s adjusted his decision-making process regarding when to shoot gaps and attack downhill. When entering into the front, he is in danger of getting plastered to blocks and lacks the wingspan, reach, and block deconstruction ability to pull himself free.
He’s a sharp and fast decision-maker with confidence, but the point of no return on his rep fitting and shooting to run under blocks may be a threat if he can’t get home. These plays will hit faster and more intensely at the pro level.
Ideal Scheme Fit, Role
Dolac projects as a scheme-specific developmental starter. He’s ideally a space player who thrives as an attacking defender when given the opportunity to use his vision and instincts.
He has enough athleticism to play zone and hit his landmarks. He’d be best served playing behind an aggressive front.
znModeratorfrom PFF Offensive Tackle Rankings: Top 32 ahead of the 2025 NFL season: https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-offensive-tackle-rankings-top-32-ahead-of-2025-nfl-season
19. Alaric Jackson, Los Angeles Rams
Despite missing the first two games of the season due to a suspension, Jackson broke out in a contract year. And the Rams rewarded him with a new contract.After earning PFF overall grades of 64.1 and 66.6 in the previous two seasons and ranking outside the top 30 in both years, Jackson finished the 2024 campaign with an 18th-ranked 78.4 PFF overall grade. His 4.5% pressure rate allowed was also a career high and ranked 18th at the position.
28. Rob Havenstein, Los Angeles Rams
The 33-year-old Havenstein’s best years are probably behind him. Despite earning an 80.0-plus PFF overall grade in three out of four seasons between 2018 and 2021, the Wisconsin product has failed to reach that threshold since.In 2024, he recorded a 75.8 PFF overall grade — his second-lowest mark over the past five seasons and the 25th-ranked figure among offensive tackles. Havenstein remains among the better run-blocking offensive tackles after posting a 79.6 PFF run-blocking grade in 2024 to rank 13th among offensive tackles.
znModeratorJourdan Rodrigue@JourdanRodrigue
Rams signed former Vikings OT David Quessenberry to a one-year deal, the team announced…
[me:]Born: August 24, 1990 (age 34)
Height: 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight: 310 lb (141 kg)
College: San José State (2008–2012)
Position: Offensive tackle
NFL draft: 2013: 6th round, 176th pickIn his free agency wanderings, he signed with Buffalo in 2022. As it happens, that year Rams OL coach Ryan Wendell was the Bills assistant OL coach. So obviously it’s safe to assume Wendell vouched for him.
He has started 30 games in the NFL, at both LOT and ROT. He started the entire season at ROT for the Titans in 2021, and after that season PFF gave him a total grade of 80.9, which…based just on reading their whole OL ranking article for 2021…would put him at 16th among all starting OTs, left and right (that’s here: https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-final-2021-offensive-line-rankings ).
Early in his NFL career, he had–and obviously beat–non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
I hope he works out. As others have said, on paper at least he could fit nicely as a veteran 3rd tackle backing up either side, left or right.
znModeratorfrom https://ramblinfan.com/sean-mcvay-glowing-over-veteran-wr-at-otas-but-not-who-you-think
Sean McVay thinks that Whittington will be a force to be reckoned with this season.
“You can see his accumulation of experience has led to a confidence, ability to be able to fill in when needed. (I) thought he had a really good day today, you can see he’s just got a real comfort level in terms of what’s being asked, what’s the intent of some of these plays, what are the route nuances and where do I fit within these concepts, and so I’ve just been really proud of the progress, the maturity.”
znModeratorfrom Which QBs have the most help? Ranking all 32 NFL supporting casts: https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/which-nfl-qbs-get-most-help-ranking-all-32-supporting-casts
6. Los Angeles Rams
I’m just begging the Rams’ offensive line to stay healthy in 2025, because this group should be scintillating if it can. Matthew Stafford and Puka Nacua are already must-see TV, and now Davante Adams — even at the age of 32 — should lend a vertical, downfield element to the offense. The backfield, led by Kyren Williams, is strong, and the Rams just juiced their tight end depth by drafting Terrance Ferguson in the second round. With Sean McVay overseeing the playcalling, I legitimately think this could be the Rams’ best offense since that incredible 2018 group that reached Super Bowl LIII.
znModeratorHigbee could be on his way out in a contract year after the Rams selected Oregon’s Terrance Ferguson in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
And Kyren Williams, possibly.
Good. Cut the dead wood. It’s not like they’re Billy Bajema and Zac Stacy.
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