How will defenses try and slow down the Rams and Sean McVay in 2024?

Ever since Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay has entered the NFL, defenses have made a concerted effort to slow down his offense. In 2017 and most of 2018, the Rams dominated the NFL with their wide zone run game and play action off of that. With the use of 6-1 looks and odd fronts, McVay was forced to shift off of that. The next version of the Rams offense in 2021 utilized more empty looks. However, with defenses limiting explosive plays, the Rams were...

Following the injuries to cornerbacks Derion Kendrick and Darious Williams, the Los Angeles Rams have signed former Detroit Lions defensive back Jerry Jacobs according to Jordan Schultz.

After losing Kendrick to a torn ACL for the season and a hamstring injury to Williams, the Rams needed some experienced cornerback depth. That doesn’t mention the injury history and limited workload that Tre White will have throughout training camp as the team gets him up to speed.

Some might be surprised that the Rams didn’t sign Ahkello Witherspoon after he spent the year with the team in 2023. This was after head...

Tom Pelissero listed the Rams defense performing well as a non-negotiable for L.A. to make the playoffs

NFL Insider Tom Pelissero was hosting the Rich Eisen Show recently, and he went through a list of “non-negotiables” for each team in the NFL to make the playoffs. During his coverage he eventually found himself discussing the NFC West, and for the Los Angeles Rams he expressed that LA’s defense needs to be ready to roll early and often for this team to find themselves in the postseason.

Full disclosure this topic of “non-negotiables” is supposed to be somewhat fun as Pelissero...

Rams trade for Roy Robertson-Harris in this hypothetical scenario

Fair or not, all pressure will be on the L.A. Rams’ defense in 2024 to figure out how to move past Aaron Donald’s retirement. Replacing one of the greatest defenders ever is an impossible task for the Rams and it’ll likely take a committee approach to replicate the effect Donald had. One writer might have a solution for how to boost LA’s depth along the D-line.

Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine proposed the Rams should send a fifth-rounder to the Jaguars in exchange for defensive tackle Roy Robertson-Harris:

“What the Rams...

Derion Kendrick tore his ACL in practice and is out for the 2024 season

Two days after he went down at the end of Wednesday’s practice with a knee injury, the Los Angeles Rams placed cornerback Derion Kendrick on the Reserve/Injured list, effectively ending his season due to a torn ACL. Kendrick, a starter for most of last season but essentially taking a backseat to new additions Tre White and Darious Williams, will need to use 2024 as a rehab year and hope to return in 2025 with another chance at redemption.

Kendrick, who turns 24 in August, has played...

Rookie WR Jordan Whittington is turning heads in early going of training camp

The national NFL media flocked to the early days of Los Angeles Rams training camp as the 2024 season is getting underway.

Robert Mays of The Athletic and The Athletic Football Show released his sit down with head coach Sean McVay this week and attended the first practice. Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports spent Wednesday in LA and offered a few notes from his observations on X:

1. The running game will be better. The interior OL will be better. Two more things that could keep...

Rams secondary will be tested after injuries to Darious Williams, Derion Kendrick

While it’s always exciting when football returns to action, this time of year is always a good reminder of what training camp is all about. Obviously, the highlight plays shared over social media are exciting, but this period is all about continuing to install the playbook as well as staying healthy. On Thursday, the Los Angeles Rams suffered their first significant injuries of the offseason.

No matter what you think of cornerback Derion Kendrick as a player, there’s no doubt that a torn ACL is a huge blow...

Los Angeles Rams News and Links for 7/26/24

Sean McVay has had some quotes come out recently (and in the past) about how much the phenom head coach has been valuing his sleep more than ever. It makes sense. When we are young, some (if not many) of us think it’s fun to burn the candle at both ends, and almost feel a sense of pride as we take on day after day with limited sleep. The downside is at a certain point the lack of sleep will catch up with most (if not all) of us. You can check...

Big free agent signing CB Darious Williams suffered a hamstring injury on Thursday

The Los Angeles Rams took a hit earlier in the week with news that third-year corner Derion Kendrick went down with a torn ACL the first day of training camp. Unfortunately the injury bug has bite the Los Angeles secondary again, this time in the form of a hamstring injury to free agent acquisition Darious Williams.

According to Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic, Williams was seen limping around after the final play of Thursday’s practice.

While the severity of the injury is still unknown, the Rams could...

LA reuniting with Ahkello Witherspoon makes sense for both sides

The Los Angeles Rams were dealt a tough blow after cornerback Derion Kendrick reportedly tore his ACL. LA’s secondary was already stretched thin entering training camp and Kendrick likely being lost for the year further puts the unit in a bind. While the news is undoubtedly painful for the Rams, Les Snead must make the right move by reuniting with Ahkello Witherspoon.

To echo the words of TST’s own Jake Ellenbogen — GET WITHERSPOON BACK PRONTO!

The eight-year veteran was an underrated addition for Los Angeles after coming over from...

Training camp is off and running!

For the Los Angeles Rams, it’s not a hot take to report that as they enter training camp, playoff hopes for the upcoming season ride on how well the defense plays. While they lost all-time great Aaron Donald over the off season, leaving a huge hole in the heart of the defense, there are some reasons for optimism. The 2023 rebuild force-fed snaps to a stable of promising, young players with the bulk returning for 2024 and L.A. invested their first two draft picks (#19 and #39) on the defensive side.

The 2023 youth...

While there are many hold outs happening around the NFL, the Rams quarterback will not be one of them

The Los Angeles Rams got some positive news earlier in the week when they were able to come to a contractual agreement with QB Matthew Stafford. Stafford, who was unhappy with his guaranteed money past 2024, is assumed to have gotten some of his base salary converted to guaranteed cash in an effort to give him some financial commitment from the team past this season.

Stafford spoke about the contract changes after practice Wednesday, and while he declined to go into...