| News |
|---|
|
Listed as punter
Mon, May 9, 2022, 7:16 PM
Dicker, who signed with the Rams as undrafted free agent last Wednesday, has been listed as a punter by the team, Stu Jackson of the team's official site reports.
Analysis: Dicker worked as a kicker and punter for the Texas Longhorns last season. Although successful as a kicker, he also averaged 46.8 yards per attempt on 47 punts last season, which was good enough for third best in the Big 12. Following the release of veteran Johnny Hekker this offseason, the Rams signed Riley Dixon, who had been serving as the Giants' punter before his own release. Dicker ultimately could provide competition to not only Dixon, but also returning kicker Matt Gay. |
|
Kendall Blanton Kendall Blanton Still in backup mix
Fri, May 6, 2022, 5:05 PM
Following the recent NFL Draft, Blanton and Brycen Hopkins continue to follow Tyler Higbee on the Rams' tight end depth chart, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.
Analysis: Meanwhile, 2021 fourth-rounder Jacob Harris is bouncing back from a knee injury, but at this stage Blanton -- who is presumably past a shoulder issue that slowed him in Super Bowl LVI -- and Hopkins remain next up for tight end targets in the event that Higbee misses time this season. |
|
Teams up with defending champs
Sat, Apr 30, 2022, 6:05 PM
The Rams selected Arcuri in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft, 261st overall.
Analysis: Arcuri suited up in 40 games (25 starts) for Michigan State, and in his senior season, he helped pave the way for Doak Walker Award winner (best RB) Kenneth Walker. He's an older prospect that will check in at 25 years old by Week 1 that has suboptimal athleticism, so he'll need a strong training camp to make the final roster. |
|
Packs bags for Los Angeles
Sat, Apr 30, 2022, 5:45 PM
The Rams selected Yeast in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft, 253rd overall.
Analysis: Yeast began his college career at cornerback for Louisville in 2017 before moving to safety in 2019. He's the definition of a tweener at 5-foot-11, 192 pounds, and he's probably not fast enough to play at outside cornerback after running a 4.56 40-yard dash. Still, he retains impressive instincts in coverage, as he posted 48 tackles, 14 pass breakups and four interceptions over 13 games as a senior at Kansas State, meaning he play in the slot at the NFL level. |
|
Going to Los Angeles
Sat, Apr 30, 2022, 5:01 PM
The Rams selected Hardy in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft, 235th overall.
Analysis: Hardy was overshadowed by teammate and second-round pick Tyler Andersen, but Hardy evidently caught the eye of the Rams anyway. He posted interesting pro day numbers at 6-foot-2, 235 pounds, making up for a mediocre 4.69-second 40 with memorable numbers in the vertical (40 inches), broad jump (127 inches) and three-cone drill (6.71 seconds). |
|
Joins growing secondary in LA
Sat, Apr 30, 2022, 4:12 PM
The Rams selected Kendrick in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, 212nd overall.
Analysis: Kendrick marks the fourth secondary piece added by the Rams over the past two days. A five-star wide receiver recruit out of high school, Kendrick transitioned to corner his sophomore season before ultimately transferring from Clemson to Georgia last year. The redshirt senior was a dynamic player and immediate starter on Georgia's championship defense, but he's been an inconsistent player across his entire collegiate career and profiles more as a depth secondary piece at the NFL level. |
|
Staying in Los Angeles
Sat, Apr 30, 2022, 4:03 PM
The Rams selected Lake in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, 211th overall.
Analysis: The son of former All-Pro NFL safety Carnell Lake, Quentin joins the Rams following a successful collegiate career at UCLA. The Rams absolutely nailed their sixth-round selection of Jordan Fuller two years ago, so they'll hope they found another good starting safety in the sixth with Lake here. For now, though, Lake will just compete for the third safety role behind Fuller and Taylor Rapp. |
|
Lands in LA after trade up
Sat, Apr 30, 2022, 2:01 PM
The Rams selected Williams in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, 164th overall.
Analysis: The redshirt sophomore was electric over the past two seasons at Notre Dame compiling 2,127 rushing yards and 672 receiving yards to go along with 31 total touchdowns, but a stunningly slow 4.66 40-yard dash and a similarly slow 40 at Williams' pro day cemented his fall down draft boards. The Rams have a number of quality backs in Cam Akers, Darrell Henderson and even 2021 preseason standout Xavier Jones, but none of the aforementioned names really represent accomplished pass catchers. While Williams' speed likely hinders his chances at emerging as a quality three-down back, he should be poised to operate as the team's top pass catcher out of the backfield, a role that has plenty of value in the Rams' vaunted offense. |
|
Dealt back to L.A.
Sat, Apr 30, 2022, 1:07 PM
Hill was traded to the Rams from the Browns on Saturday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Analysis: After one year in Cleveland, Hill is set to return to the team he played with for five seasons. The Rams had taken a corner in the draft just minutes prior to the trade, but Hill provides veteran experience and more immediate help in the Los Angeles secondary. |
|
Links up with Super Bowl champs
Sat, Apr 30, 2022, 12:57 PM
The Rams selected Durant in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, 142nd overall.
Analysis: A small school product out of South Carolina State, Durant is a diminutive but fast cornerback who ran a 4.38 in the 40-yard dash at 5-foot-9 and 180 pounds. He has short arms, so bigger receivers could be an issue for him, but Durant has make-up speed to compensate. Durant is the type of corner the Rams tend to target, outside of Jalen Ramsey, so he fits a need and could work his way into a role at some point in his rookie season. |
|
Nabbed by defending champs
Fri, Apr 29, 2022, 10:42 PM
The Rams selected Bruss in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft, 104th overall.
Analysis: This will probably prove a good pick by the Rams. While he has an outside shot to stick at tackle, Bruss (6-foot-5, 309 pounds) is more likely to emerge as a starting guard after a distinguished, versatile career at Wisconsin. Bruss primarily played right tackle there, but might be a tad too small with too little reach (33 and 1/8-inch arms) to stay there. Bruss projects very well at guard, however, and he has excellent athleticism to work with (31-inch vertical jump, 112-inch broad jump). |
|
Cam Akers Cam Akers Continuing to progress
Thu, Apr 21, 2022, 5:18 PM
Akers is aiming to make "big strides" this offseason after making a quicker than expected recovery from a torn Achilles suffered last July, Greg Beacham of the Associated Press reports.
Analysis: Despite picking up the serious injury just before training camp, Akers was given a chance to return at some point during the 2021 campaign when the Rams opted to place him on the reserve/non-football injury list on Aug. 31 versus injured reserve, the latter of which would have made him ineligible to play. He eventually was activated prior to Week 16 and made his season debut Week 18, and during the Rams' run to a Super Bowl LVI victory he served as the team's primary running back. In those five games, though, Akers averaged just 2.4 yards on his 72 carries, corralled 11 of 13 passes for 86 yards and didn't score a touchdown. During Thursday's media appearance, he relayed, "I wouldn't say I did well. ... I did what I was supposed to do, but obviously that's not enough for me." As he puts the injury further in the rearview mirror, the soon-to-be 23-year-old (in June) will look to fulfill his standing as a 2020 second-round pick, with his primary competition Darrell Henderson, a three-year pro. |
|
John Wolford John Wolford Re-signs with Rams
Tue, Apr 19, 2022, 4:07 PM
Wolford officially signed a one-year tender from the Rams on Tuesday, independent NFL reporter Dov Kleiman reports.
Analysis: As an exclusive rights free agent, Wolford couldn't negotiate with another team after being tendered by Los Angeles at the end of March. The 26-year-old quarterback has finally signed the tender, making him the official backup quarterback to Matthew Stafford for the 2022 campaign. Wolford made three garbage-time appearances in 2021, but the Wake Forest product's most memorable NFL moment came a season prior. While Jared Goff was sidelined due to thumb surgery for Week 17 of the 2020 season, Wolford drew his first career start and led the Rams to a playoff-clinching win over the Cardinals. |
|
Matthew Stafford Matthew Stafford Says arm feels good
Tue, Apr 19, 2022, 3:07 PM
Stafford said Tuesday that he's feeling great, less than six weeks after he had an anti-inflammatory shot in his arm, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.
Analysis: Stafford initially used a brace after the shot but doesn't need one as the Rams begin their offseason program Tuesday. He's surrounded by many of the same players from last year, minus left tackle Andrew Whitworth, who retired, and wide receivers Robert Woods, now with the Titans, and Odell Beckham, who remains unsigned as a free agent. The Rams signed Allen Robinson to replace Woods and Beckham, and the team seemingly has a competent replacement for Whitworth in 2018 third-round pick Joe Noteboom, who signed a three-year extension in March. It's a good setup for Stafford on the heels of his career year in 2021. |
|
Sticking with Rams
Sat, Apr 16, 2022, 5:11 PM
Howard signed his restricted free agent tender with the Rams on Saturday, Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Analysis: Howard has carved out a significant role on special teams with the Rams since being selected in the seventh round of the 2018 draft. He was forced to miss the 2020 season due to a knee injury, but has combined to record 43 total tackles across his two healthy campaigns. |
|
Matt Gay Matt Gay Sticking with Rams
Thu, Apr 14, 2022, 7:50 PM
Gay signed his restricted free agent tender with the Rams on Thursday, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.
Analysis: Gay received an original-round tender from the Rams, and he'll enter his third campaign with the team in 2022. He's been excellent across the last two seasons, combining to hit 46 of his 50 field-goal attempts and 64 of his 65 extra-point attempts. |
|
Agrees to deal with SB champs
Tue, Apr 5, 2022, 3:19 PM
Dixon signed a contract with the Rams on Tuesday.
Analysis: Dixon served as the Giants' primary punter for the last four seasons, but he was released by New York this offseason. As of now, he's slated to be the reigning Super Bowl champion's Week 1 punter after the Rams released Johnny Hekker, who had been with the team for a decade, in March. |
|
Added to Rams defense
Thu, Mar 31, 2022, 2:31 PM
The Rams have agreed to terms with Wagner, Cameron DaSilva of USA Today reports.
Analysis: Per the report, Wagner's deal is for five years and worth up to $65 million. The Seahawks released the linebacker earlier this month, but the 31-year-old remains productive at this stage of his career and is coming off a career-high 170-tackle season. With the Rams, Wagner -- who's presumably past the knee issue that caused him to miss Seattle's season finale -- slots in as a starting inside linebacker alongside Ernest Jones, with his addition representing a boost to the team's defense against the run as well as in coverage. |
|
John Wolford John Wolford Tendered by Rams
Wed, Mar 23, 2022, 1:14 PM
The Rams tendered Wolford a contract Wednesday, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.
Analysis: As an exclusive rights free agent, Wolford can no longer negotiate with another team after being tendered by Los Angeles, which means he'll return to the Rams in 2022 as the backup to No. 1 quarterback Matthew Stafford. Wolford made three appearances in garbage time in 2021, with the Wake Forest's products most memorable NFL moments having come the season prior. While Jared Goff was sidelined due to thumb surgery for Week 17 of the 2020 season, Wolford started and led Los Angeles to a playoff-clinching win over the Cardinals. |
|
Matthew Stafford Matthew Stafford Signs massive extension
Sat, Mar 19, 2022, 3:33 PM
Stafford agreed to a four-year extension Saturday with the Rams worth up to $160 million including $135 million in guarantees, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Analysis: Stafford still had one year left on his deal, but the Rams made sure to lock up the Super Bowl winning quarterback at a relatively affordable rate with upper-echelon quarterback play exploding in price over the last month. While Stafford will average $40 million per season over the duration of his extension, the move was made in an effort to free up more space for potential free-agent signings according to Schefter. The Rams already signed burgeoning star wide receiver Allen Robinson in the offseason and have been rumored to be interested in re-signing Odell Beckham, whose torn ACL in the Super Bowl could have him return to the field in November. |
Connect With Us:
