Could Trey Lance scramble Rams’ Super Bowl hopes?
19 HRS AGO - Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Lance could be a thorn in Rams’ side for years to come Expand
19 HRS AGO - Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Lance could be a thorn in Rams’ side for years to come The Los Angeles Rams’ window for contention will remain open for the next two to three years, based on the remaining contract duration for star players like Matthew Stafford, Aaron Donald, Jalen Ramsey, and Cooper Kupp.
One threat to that contention window, however, could be the development and potential emergence of second-year quarterback Trey Lance for the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers traded a heap of draft capital, two first rounders and a third round selection - similar to what the Rams gave up for Stafford, in order to take Lance third overall in 2021.
But a year later, Lance is still an unknown commodity in the NFL.
A strong performance from the young quarterback could propel the 49ers, who made it all the way to the NFC championship game a year ago, into legitimate contending status.
While Lance is a supremely talented athlete, he’s still an extremely raw prospect at Collapse
Random Ramsdom: Will Allen Robinson excel in Rams offense?
23 HRS AGO - Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images
Los Angeles Rams News and Links for 7/5/22 During Expand
23 HRS AGO - Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images
Los Angeles Rams News and Links for 7/5/22 During free agency this off-season, the Los Angeles Rams decided to add more fire power to their offense, opting to sign wide reciever Allen Robinson to a 3-year $46.5 million dollar contract.
Robinson, who was a 2nd round selection for the Jacksonville Jaguars back in 2014, will have a chance to play with the best quartetback he has ever had. He will go from the likes of Blake Bortles, Nick Foles. and Justin Fields, to Matthew Stafford.
Photo by David Crane/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images
Despite having below averae quarterbacks throughout his career, Robinson has put up respectable numbers, with a total of 495 receptions, 6,409 yards, along with 40 receiving touchdowns over the span of his 8 year career. Those numbers are extremely impressive, all things considered, and Robinson will most definitely benefit from having an elite receiver in Cooper Collapse
Top-20 Rams of 2022: Ernest Jones has an exceptionally high ceiling
1 DAY AGO - Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images
A change of pace: Les Snead is investing in inside Expand
1 DAY AGO - Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images
A change of pace: Les Snead is investing in inside linebackers During his first season at the helm, Sean McVay hired Wade Phillips and that meant a 3-4 defense with multiple inside linebackers, which in turn led to a one-year pact for veteran Connor Barwin. After parting with Alec Ogletree in 2018, the team turned to undrafted free agent Cory Littleton, a Pro Bowl invitee during his first (and second-to-last) season as a starter for the Los Angeles Rams.
Rams general manager Les Snead next replaced Mark Barron with Clay “Kind of like Connor Barwin” Matthews in 2019, and then the team felt little in the way of desperation to retain Littleton or Matthews when free agency hit in 2020.
L.A. gave way to a rotation that included Troy Reeder and Kenny Young two seasons ago, but then finally relented somewhat after selecting Ernest Jones with the 103rd pick in the 2021 NFL Draft; that makes Jones the highest-drafted inside linebacker of the Collapse
Random Ramsdom: Which off-season acquisition will make the biggest impact in 2022?
2 DAYS AGO - Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Los Angeles Rams News and Links for 7/3/22 Following becoming Expand
2 DAYS AGO - Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Los Angeles Rams News and Links for 7/3/22 Following becoming Super Bowl champions back in February, the Los Angeles Rams have undergone some changes in terms of their roster. The team lost important players, such as Darious Williams, Austin Corbett, Von Miller, Johnny Hekker, Sebastian Joseph-Day, and fan-favorite Robert Woods.
Nonetheless, if the team wants to win another championship, those losses would need to be addressed in order to fill the gap those players may leave. The biggest moves of the off-season were the acquisitions of former Seahawks linebacker, and L.A native, Bobby Wagner, and wide receiver Allen Robinson II. The latter will finally have the opportunity to play with a competent quarterback, something he has not experienced dating all the way back to his days at Penn State. The former is a man that the Rams are extremely familiar with, as the Seahawks legend was someone they had to deal with at least twice per season, wreaking Collapse
What is Rams’ plan for OL in 2022 and beyond?
4 DAYS AGO - Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Can Logan Bruss win the starting job at RG? How will the OL Expand
4 DAYS AGO - Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Can Logan Bruss win the starting job at RG? How will the OL change in 2023? Aside from signing Andrew Whitworth during free agency in 2017, the Los Angeles Rams have refrained from investing significant capital in the offensive line.
While Whitworth was a stalwart at left tackle for five seasons, realistically the team could have only expected him to contribute for two to three years at the time of the signing.
Los Angeles has been able to draft offensive lineman, both at tackle on on the interior, in the mid or later rounds and develop them into starting caliber players. The Rams re-signed two individuals from the 2019 draft class this offseason after they both hit the free agent market initially - Joseph Noteboom (LT, 3rd round) and Brian Allen (C, 4th round).
David Edwards, the starting left guard and 2020 5th rounder, is cut from the same cloth as Noteboom and Allen, but he is slated for free agency after this upcoming season. He will be joined Collapse
Rainbow Labs co-founders Jacob Toups and Luis Vasquez are the Rams' fourth 'pLAymaker' honorees
5 DAYS AGO - Jacob Toups and Luis Vasquez, co-founders of the non-profit Rainbow Labs, have been recognized by Expand
5 DAYS AGO - Jacob Toups and Luis Vasquez, co-founders of the non-profit Rainbow Labs, have been recognized by the Rams as their latest pLAymaker for their work providing a safe and supportive environment to empower LGBTQ+ youth. Collapse
How will Rams team defensive rankings change in 2022?
5 DAYS AGO - Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The signing of Bobby Wagner projects to have a multi-layered Expand
5 DAYS AGO - Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The signing of Bobby Wagner projects to have a multi-layered effect In my previous piece, I wrote about how the Rams “Team Offensive” Rankings might fluctuate in 2022. The focus now shifts to the defensive side of the ball and whether Raheem Morris’s unit will make strides or regress downward in 2022. Let’s look at a number of impactful categories.
Points/Game: 21.9 (T-16th)
Throughout the 2021 season, many criticized Raheem Morris as the defensive coordinator and that his defense wasn’t as “effective” as Brandon Staley’s 2020 unit. What is often overlooked is that Staley’s 2020 unit went up against weaker opponents in 2020 (the Rams finished 3rd in the division in 2019). Another key element is that Raheem Morris was learning the “Fangio/Staley” scheme. Though the pts/game went up this past year, I am buying the LA defense going into 2022. With Bobby Wagner solidifying the LB corps and a now established A’Shawn Robinson and Greg Gaines next to Collapse
Los Angeles Rams announce Training Camp schedule at UC Irvine
6 DAYS AGO - Fans can register to attend at TheRams.com/TrainingCamp
Random Ramsdom: Is the quarterback depth of the Rams among worst in the NFL?
6 DAYS AGO - Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Los Angeles Rams News and Links for 6/29/22 Throughout Matthew Expand
6 DAYS AGO - Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Los Angeles Rams News and Links for 6/29/22 Throughout Matthew Stafford’s time in the NFL, he has shown countless times that he is one of the toughest players in the entire league. However, Stafford has missed a majority of two separate seasons over his 13 year career (2010, 2019), meaning it is definitely not unfathomable for him to potentially miss time at some point during his Rams tenure.
C. Morgan Engel-USA TODAY Sports
If injury were to happen to Stafford, the Rams would have to turn to backup quarterback John Wolford, a man entering his 3rd season and has only started in two real NFL games in his career. On the bright side of things, both of his starts came in extremely crucial moments in 2020 following a thumb injury to then starter Jared Goff.
Wolford’s first start came against the Arizona Cardinals in the season finale in a win-and-in scenario, and his second came in the Wild Card round of the postseason against the Collapse
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Countdown to Camp: Big season ahead for Rams quarterbacks
20 HRS AGO - Our pre-training camp series previewing each position group kicks off with a look at the group Expand
20 HRS AGO - Our pre-training camp series previewing each position group kicks off with a look at the group under center led by Matthew Stafford. Collapse
Rams steal Bobby Wagner from Seahawks: How it happened, what to expect
1 DAY AGO - Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
And carry off a great linebacker on a great contract Back in Expand
1 DAY AGO - Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
And carry off a great linebacker on a great contract Back in early March and within two weeks of Bobby Wagner’s unceremonious release from the Seattle Seahawks, the Los Angeles Rams hosted the star linebacker on a free agent visit. It only took another week or so for Les Snead to hammer out a deal bringing the SoCal native home.
Wagner and the Rams agreed to a five-year, $50 million contract with $20m of that guaranteed. Incentives, if met, could substantially raise the the guaranteed number. There is one interesting twist to the contract, according to overthecap.com.
“If Wagner plays 90% of the snaps in 2022 and 2023 and the team makes the playoffs in both seasons or he is selected to the Pro Bowl both seasons, Wagner will have the right to void the final three years of the contract.”
Acrimonious split with Seattle
Before the 2021 season was over, the rumors in Seattle started flying. The Seahawks were going into go full-on rebuild mode and Wagner Collapse
Random Ramsdom: Who will step in at EDGE with the loss of Von Miller?
1 DAY AGO - Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Los Angeles Rams News and Links for 7/4/22 With the loss of Von Expand
1 DAY AGO - Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Los Angeles Rams News and Links for 7/4/22 With the loss of Von Miller, who signed a lucrative deal with the Buffalo Bills, the Rams will need to find a replacement on the current roster that can produce immediately. On the roster, as of today, the OLBs on the team are Leonard Floyd, Justin Hollins, Chris Garrett, Terrell Lewis, and rookie Daniel Hardy. Floyd is a lock to start on the edge for the Rams, the issue lies in the opposite side of himself.
Last season, prior to trading for Von Miller, the team used more of a rotational approach to the position on the opposite end of Leonard Floyd. A combo between Justin Hollins and Terrell Lewis was the go to, producing a total of 5 sacks between the two of them (3 for Lewis, 2 for Hollins). Hollins’ season was altered early on, as an injury in week 3 forced him to only play in 8 regular season games. Lewis suffered a back injury during the season, appearing in the first 11 games before being shut down Collapse
Random Ramsdom: Saturday Open Thread
3 DAYS AGO - Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images
Los angeles Rams News and Links for 7/2/22 Please Expand
3 DAYS AGO - Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images
Los angeles Rams News and Links for 7/2/22 Please use this as an open thread to discuss anything Rams and/or NFL news.
Enjoy today’s links:
RAMS NEWS:
Flashback Friday: “It’s us against the world” Jordan Fuller Mic’d Up at Rams 2021 Training Camp (TheRams.com)
LA Rams Les Snead’s ‘F’ Them Picks’ is trending in NBA (RamblinFan)
Rams TE Kendall Blanton is in awe of the contracts NBA players are signing (RamsWire)
NFL NEWS:
Jaylon Ferguson’s death ruled accidental due to combined effects of fentanyl, cocaine (NFL.com)
Dynasty Fantasy Football Mock Draft: Travis Etienne and Michael Pittman continue surge (CBSSports)
Raiders star ranks the NFL’s five best tight ends and Lamar Jackson is already questioning the list (CBSSports) Collapse
Leonard Floyd predicted to make first Pro Bowl in 2022
4 DAYS AGO - Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Seventh-year linebacker entering his third season with Expand
4 DAYS AGO - Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Seventh-year linebacker entering his third season with Rams Los Angeles Rams outside linebacker Leonard Floyd never reached his potential with his first team. Floyd joined LA in free agency before the 2020 season following his release from the Chicago Bears who had selected him ninth-overall in the 2016 NFL Draft. Now entering his third season in Hollywood, it appears that the Rams have unlocked something special in the seven-year player, and he might just be getting started.
Pro Bowl nods are largely reserved for the biggest names in the sport. The voting is nothing but a popularity contest for the fans who often leave out more deserving candidates in favor of a star player. Despite the flawed voting procedures, Nick Shook of NFL.com believes Floyd is about to make his first Pro Bowl in 2022:
“Floyd finally found his form when he moved to Los Angeles, recording 20 total sacks over his first two seasons with the Rams. He’s been overshadowed Collapse
Top-20 Rams: Brian Allen can be an inspiration to his fellow L.A. teammates
5 DAYS AGO - Photo by Juan Ocampo/NHLI via Getty Images
Nobody would have guessed Allen as a top-20 Expand
5 DAYS AGO - Photo by Juan Ocampo/NHLI via Getty Images
Nobody would have guessed Allen as a top-20 player on the team a year ago, but it is well deserved Ye who need hope, look to Brian Allen.
Yes, that’s right. Look to Brian Allen.
Calling to Bobby Evans, to Tremayne Anchrum, and Chandler Brewer.
Notice to Brycen Hopkins, to Darrell Henderson, to Tutu Atwell.
Attention to Terrell Lewis, to Taylor Rapp, to David Long, Jr..
If ye need hope, look to Brian Allen. The proof buried at the bottom of the pudding cup, shouting, screaming, yelling at you... “Please mix! It’s never too late.”
When he was drafted in the fourth round in 2018, Allen’s odds of becoming a long-time starting center in the NFL were already set below 50-percent. Allen would set foot on the field for only 36 offensive snaps as a rookie, lowering his odds a little bit more.
Then given nine starts and 563 snaps in year two, the audition did more to confirm his fate on the bench than it did to endorse Allen as the team’s Collapse
Random Ramsdom: Can Jacob Harris become more than a project?
5 DAYS AGO - Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Los Angeles Rams News and Links for 6/30/22 In the 2021 NFL Expand
5 DAYS AGO - Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Los Angeles Rams News and Links for 6/30/22 In the 2021 NFL draft, the Rams opted to select WR/TE(?) Jacob Harris out of the University of Central Florida, doing so with the 141st pick of the 4th round. Harris, who is listed at 6’5 211 lbs, presented a tremendous combination of size and speed, along with a knack for winning contested jump balls as a bigger body receiver.
Photo by Mark Alberti/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Perhaps the most interesting part about Jacob Harris is that he is relatively new to the game of football, as he started playing in his senior season of high school. Before then, he was primarily a soccer player, and was so gifted at it that he earned a division 1 scholarship to play soccer for Florida Gulf Coast. However, Harris would be lured away from soccer, and eventually walked on to both Western Kentucky and UCF before earning a mid-season scholarship at UCF.
Playing only one season where he saw Collapse
Top-20 Rams: Troy Hill is a veteran starter at a bargain price
6 DAYS AGO - Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images
A cornerbacks unit that lacks experience, a head Expand
6 DAYS AGO - Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images
A cornerbacks unit that lacks experience, a head coach who welcomed back Hill with open arms When Darious Williams started playing for the Los Angeles Rams at the end of the 2019 season, he had some advantages working in his favor with the fanbase. Unlike fellow Rams cornerback Troy Hill, Williams was a new player, he was a couple of years younger, and he had even scored a fumble recovery touchdown during a brief appearance against the Falcons in the middle of the season.
Comparatively speaking, Williams was more like a “prospect” even though he was already 26 and Hill was a known quantity with a perceived ceiling of a guy who at best would rotate in and out of the defense with as many mental mistakes as he had positive moments. Then after Williams posted interceptions in each of L.A.’s final two games that season, it may have felt like the Rams added not one All-Pro cornerback after trading for Jalen Ramsey that year...
But two!
And Collapse
Rams Pride non-profit showcase: LGBT Center
7 DAYS AGO - In the fourth and final installment of a series for Pride Month, theRams.com spotlights the Los Expand
7 DAYS AGO - In the fourth and final installment of a series for Pride Month, theRams.com spotlights the Los Angeles LGBT Center, which has provided services to LGBT individuals and families in L.A. and beyond for more than 50 years. Collapse
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Top-20 Rams: Is Van Jefferson overrated, underrated, or just right?
21 HRS AGO - Photo by Harry How/Getty Images
We need to set a new bar for “good receiver stats” What’s Expand
21 HRS AGO - Photo by Harry How/Getty Images
We need to set a new bar for “good receiver stats” What’s a good benchmark for statistical success at the wide receiver position in the year 2022?
Many of us grew up in a land where 1,000 yards sounded so clean and difficult to achieve, so what else could there be? But with a heavier focus on the passing game and a 17th contest added to the schedule, we are past the time when 1,000 receiving yards is all that special.
In 2003, 14 players crossed over 1,000 yards.
In 2010, it was 17 players.
In 2020, it was 18 players.
But in the two seasons on either end of 2020, there were 29 players over 1,000 yards in 2019 and 26 such players in 2021.
When you have that many players putting up numbers in a season, it can only increase the odds for any one of them to become an afterthought in the near future. Consider such 1,000-yard examples from the last eight years such as Terrelle Pryor, John Brown, Kelvin Benjamin, Brian Hartline, Allen Hurns, Tyrell Collapse
Newcomer update: Kyren Williams
1 DAY AGO - Continuing our series of updates on players new to the Rams' roster in 2022, the Rams.com takes a Expand
1 DAY AGO - Continuing our series of updates on players new to the Rams' roster in 2022, the Rams.com takes a look at rookie running back Kyren Williams. Collapse
Odell Beckham Jr wants you to believe that he doesn’t have ACLs anyway
2 DAYS AGO - Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
Meme: You can’t tear your ACL if you don’t have one We Expand
2 DAYS AGO - Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
Meme: You can’t tear your ACL if you don’t have one We know that Odell Beckham Jr. can be a super good football player. We do not know that he is super-human, however.
Though it is not impossible to play football with a torn ACL—Philip Rivers reportedly played through a partially-torn ACL in the 2007 playoffs—it would be especially hard to believe that someone could play wide receiver for several months under those same conditions. But OBJ tweeted on Sunday morning that he “played the whole back half of the season without an acl” and the NFL world is understandably reacting to it with nothing much else to do in the middle of the offseason.
Krazy thought … really played the whole back half of the season without an acl, and won a super bowl! God doesn’t misss, i swea— Odell Beckham Jr (@obj) July 3, 2022
When did OBJ allegedly tear his ACL then, if not in the Super Bowl? That question has gone unanswered so far, but OBJ could claim any Collapse
Newcomer update: Cobie Durant
4 DAYS AGO - Continuing our series of offseason updates on players new to the Rams' roster in 2022, theRams.com Expand
4 DAYS AGO - Continuing our series of offseason updates on players new to the Rams' roster in 2022, theRams.com examines rookie defensive back Cobie Durant. Collapse
Random Ramsdom: Daniel Hardy will have a shot to contribute early
4 DAYS AGO - Daniel Hardy (left) at mandatory minicamp | Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images
Los Expand
4 DAYS AGO - Daniel Hardy (left) at mandatory minicamp | Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images
Los Angeles Rams News and Links for 7/1/22 During the 2021 season, the Los Angeles Rams made a blockbuster mid-season trade to acquire EDGE rusher and perennial hall-of-famer Von Miller. The move proved to be extremely succesful as Miller made a huge impact in the postseason, helping lead the team to an eventual Super Bowl title.
However, Miller decided to leave the team this offseason, opting to sign a massive deal with the Buffalo Bills, leaving the Rams with a pretty substantial hole in terms of rushing the passer.
Photo by Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
During the NFL draft back in April, the Rams used their first 7th round pick on EDGE rusher Daniel Hardy out of Montana State University. Although Montana State is a smaller school (FCS program), Hardy presents big time intangibles. At 6’3 240 lbs, Hardy is a physical specimen, as if he was put together Collapse
Rams Breakout Candidates: 2020 Draft Class | Cam Akers & Brycen Hopkins
5 DAYS AGO - Cam Akers, Van Jefferson, and Jordan Fuller have all been major contributors the last two seasons. Expand
5 DAYS AGO - Cam Akers, Van Jefferson, and Jordan Fuller have all been major contributors the last two seasons. In this installment, J.B. Long looks back at the 2020 Class and delves into which members might be most instrumental this season in the Rams’ quest to repeat. Collapse
Rams 2022 training camp dates announced
6 DAYS AGO - Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Everything you need to know about training camp starting next Expand
6 DAYS AGO - Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Everything you need to know about training camp starting next month Los Angeles Rams training camp dates have officially been set for the defending champs. Fans who are planning to make the trip to Southern Cal this summer, here are the dates and information you need to know before seeing LA’s stars in-person:
#RAMSCAMP ALERT See ya at 2022 Training Camp presented by @UnifyFCU! » https://t.co/Sbv9iiFMrU pic.twitter.com/9wrKjOpwyo— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) June 29, 2022
Training camp officially starts for the Rams on Friday, July 29 and runs through Wednesday, August 10. These 11 practices will be held at UC Irvine and will be free to the public but all attendees will need a ticket to enter. Practice times will vary depending on the day so be sure to pay close attention to any upcoming announcements.
For other information regarding practice times and how to get tickets, go to the Rams 2022 training camp website linked here.
The parking Collapse
Cooper Kupp grades out as the NFL’s best wide receiver versus man coverage
6 DAYS AGO - Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images
And that’s not all for the LA Rams star, he’s in the Expand
6 DAYS AGO - Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images
And that’s not all for the LA Rams star, he’s in the top three vs. zone Superlatives keep coming in for the Los Angeles Rams star wide receiver Cooper Kupp. Pro Football Focus recently released their listing of the NFL’s top wide receivers versus both man and zone coverage. Kupp was charted as THE most successful wideout vs. man-to-man coverage (93.8) and ranked third against zone coverage (86.9).
Against man coverage, he not only had the the highest grade, but also had a full yard advantage in yards per route run (4.33) over second best Justin Jefferson as well as a five point advantage in wide receiver rating (145.8). Kupp lines up in the slot often, 65.5% according to PFF, but the grades include all snaps and shows his ability to create space from both inside and out.
This comes on the heels of PFF’s May release of the best receivers vs. press coverage over the last two years. Kupp ranked third overall (90.8), first in yards per route Collapse
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