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Rams start at 6min. Some great stats shared about offense and defense.
Fantastic analysis and worth a look at rest of teams. I doubt many will agree but I concur that this is the most competitive division and could see just about any finish possible (if injuries hit Rams and 49ers) or Ari and Seattle take the next step.
Below was my latest update on the UDFAs as of the first preseason game: I can’t run and can’t hide from what I said. I was right about Dolac and wrong about Lampkin
I’ll add “POST 53 COMMENT” for my current opinions, and I'll label my post-draft signing comments as "MY SIGNING COMMENTS."
Here’s the first 15 on the PS—Practice Squad
Rams' initial practice squad
OL A.J. Arcuri
OL Wyatt Bowles
WR Tru Edwards
CB A.J. Green
DT Jack Heflin
S Tanner Ingle
CB Cam Lampkin
OL Dylan McMahon
OLB Jamil Muhammad
ILB Elias Neal
DT Bill Norton
WR Brennan Presley
RB Ronnie Rivers
RB Cody Schrader
S Nate Valcarcel
My overall comments on Aug. 13: New guys I didn't mention but now think have a shot: Bowles--played well in the game; Dooley--played well in the game; and Muhammad--showed good edge pass rush in the game. POST 53 COMMENT: Both Bowles and Muhammad made the PS, so not too bad.
Here's the list again with added comments and my original comments.
Utah State OL Wyatt Bowles
POST 53 COMMENT: I think I was right about him. He looked solid in all the preseason games AND he made the PS!
Aug. 13 comments: he looked good to me in the game but was Bottom 5 in PFF grades. He has a chance to make the Practice Squad but zero chance to make the team:
PFF grades: Bottom 5 offense
RB Blake Corum: 60.1
TE Anthony Torres: 56.0
LG Wyatt Bowles: 54.9
OT A.J. Arcuri: 47.8
WR Mario Williams: 41.3
6-5; 300
MY SIGNING COMMENTS: Seems to have a great attitude. Before the draft, he said he wanted to be one of the 2% who make it. He was rated #23 Aggie for 2025 before the season started, so a late bloomer
POST 53 COMMENT: He’s gone, and still never heard a peep about him in camp. I was right here.
Aug. 13 comments: I didn't see him in the game, and not a word has been written about him in camp, but to be fair, not a singe reporter mentioned Willie Lampkin in camp, and the only guy I heard a coach mention was Shaun Dolac, so not hearing about Dixon-Willaims might not mean too much. If he didn't even play in this game, he has zero chane of making the team. Maybe the Practice Squad.
MY SIGNING COMMENTS: I heard he was a former 5-Star recruit. Said he wanted to go to UConn to build it from scratch--wanted the challenge.
POST 53 COMMENT: My best prediction! He’s the only guy who made the 53! I think he’s undersized, but he can play. Great smarts for the game.
Aug. 13 comments: Great reports from camp!~ They say he is incredibly smart. In the game, he looked a little small, but was in the right place most of the time. I think he's a lock to make the team. PFF grade was solid, too!
PFF grades: Other notables
WR Xavier Smith: 73.4
RB Jarquez Hunter: 68.0
CB Derion Kendrick: 68.8
LB Shaun Dolac: 65.0
WR Konata Mumpfield: 64.8
LB Chris Paul Jr.: 64.6
OLB Josaiah Stewart: 63.9
MY SIGNING COMMENTS: This guy will make the team! Small but fast and great athlete--incredible body control. 6-2 and 220. A tackling machine who makes some of the most amazing interceptions you'll ever see--astounding for a linebacker: View: Login to view embedded mediaView: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4qNnINe_L4
I think he can start down the road
Boise State OL Ben Dooley
POST 53 COMMENT: Wrong. I did think he'd make the PS, so I was wrong.
Aug. 13 comments: He looked good in the game--nice PFF score.
POST 53 COMMENT: I was wrong! He made the PS! I liked his size, and he finally started to play. I don’t think he played at all in the first preseason game, but made some plays in the later two!
Aug. 13 comments: I didn't see him in the game, and I haven't heard anything about him in camp. He's invisible. No chance he makes the team or Practice Squad at this point.
Son of former NFL WR Troy Edwards, who was a first-round pick in the NFL
6-3, 201
MY SIGNING COMMENT: He has the size and YAC ability to make it
POST 53 COMMENT: I was dead wrong here. I really thought he was a lock, so I’ll take some huge helpings of crow on this one. My only defenses are that (1) the Eagles put him on their 53, and (2) the Rams have the best depth at OL in the McVay era. They also brought in Quessenberry and Humphries as veteran tackles who can play LT, and that probably crushed Lampkin’s chances.
Aug. 13 comments: He was the highest rated OL in the entire NFL in Week 1 of the preseason. He's an absolute lock to make the team. A couple of his shotgun snaps were off, but he looks like a starter in the NFL.
PFF grades: Top 5 offense
C Willie Lampkin: 94.1
RT David Quessenberry: 90.8
RG Justin Dedich: 81.3
QB Stetson Bennett: 79.6
LG Ben Dooley: 77.8
MY SIGNING COMMENTS: This guy has a great chance to make the team! He's a great player who was ignored due to his small size and mediocre testing. I think he can start at C down the road--maybe even guard.
POST 53 COMMENT: I was right! He showed some ability to get to the QB, and he had some great tape at USC—just had a terrible senior year for whatever reason.
Aug. 13 comments: He looked twitchy and showed some pass rush moves. One play should have been a hold--the RT basically got away with tackling him. I don't see him making the team, but he's a lock for the Practice Squad. Nice PFF grade in the game
PFF grades: Top 5 defense
CB Cam Lampkin: 83.2
CB Charles Woods: 82.3
S Nate Valcarcel: 78.0
OLB Jamil Muhammad: 73.0
S Tanner Ingle: 71.3
Great junior year
Terrible senior year
Both body type and play style seem like the Rams' 3rd-round pick, Josaiah Stewart
6-1, 260
MY SIGNING COMMENTS: This guy has a chance, but why did he have only one sack last year?
"Jamil Muhammad played in all 26 USC games the past two season. He racked up 73 total tackles and 7.5 sacks. Muhhmanad played more defensive end end in 2024 compared to linebacker in 2023. Numbers wise, Muhammad had a drop off in this season. He was tied for 11th on the Trojans defense in total combined tackles, and only ended top with one sack on the year. In 2023, he finished seventh on the team in total tackles with 46 and led the team in sacks with 6.5. " https://www.si.com/college/usc/foot...i-lane-transfer-portal-big-ten-caleb-williams
Bill Norton DL, Texas
POST 53 COMMENT: I’ll say I was right on him. He didn’t make the 53, but he did make the PS. I love the guy’s pedigree—played for both Georgia and Texas, so you know he has some ability. I think the guy has great size, and some good penetration skills for a man that huge. You could see in the preseason that he got gassed after a few plays, though. He needs to lose some weight and increase his stamina, but I could see him making the 53 next season.
Aug. 13 comments: He looked great to me. At 340 or so, he got great penetration right up the middle on one play in the 4th--you don't see guys that big move that fast. I think he should be on the team, but the Rams are deep at DT. I hope they don't lose the guy. He just needs to get into better shape. He's too big. I'm sure he's a lock for the Practice Squad, and he could have a solid career in the NFL.
Huge: 6-6 and 335
MY SIGNING COMMENTS: He definitely has a chance to make it. In his case, maybe he needs to slim down to be more mobile. I read that he's a penetrating lineman, but he only had one sack in his career.
"After the 2023 college football season, Norton transferred to the Texas Longhorns. The 6-foot-6, 335-pound defensive lineman recorded 14 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble for the Longhorns this season. Norton had just one sack in his college career, but he recorded it in the College Football Playoff."
Seems to be a huge body that can stuff the middle at nose tackle
Originally played at Georgia
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart raved about him
"What a great kid man, this guy worked his tail off here and worked really hard," Smart said. "One of his key roles was with special teams, he played on our field goal protection unit and was the best at doing it."
POST 53 COMMENT: I was right about him! He is tiny, but he has some polish and quickness. He might be a punt returner and slot guy for somebody in a couple of years.
Aug. 13 comments: He looked solid in the game--quick and made some underneath catches-- but no way he makes this team this year. He'll be on the Practice Squad.
5-8, 174
MY SIGNING COMMENTS: Tiny but had a very productive career with tons of catches and yards
POST 53 COMMENT: I was wrong. He didn’t even make the PS! He did have incredible experience, but just not athletic enough to make it.
Aug. 13 comments: Only played a bit at the end of the game. I thought the announcers suprisingly said he had only been in camp very recently, so maybe he was injured. He's got the size and experience, but no way he makes the team. He'll be on the Practice Squad for sure.
6-5, 255
MY SIGNING COMMENTS: Been a starter for at least three years. He's a huge guy known for his blocking but can catch the ball. I could see him making the team--vanilla, but a much cheaper Parkinson
POST 53 COMMENT: I was wrong and right. When he was signed, I thought he did have a chance, but after his first game, I changed my mind quickly. He didn’t even make the PS. He has great size, but unlike Norton, he showed zero movement skills. He’s just a fat dude who can’t move.
Aug. 13 comments: I didn't see him in the game at all, but he did play. Got a terrible PFF score. I don't see him making the team anymore but maybe the Practice Squad.
PFF grades: Bottom 5 defense
CB Shaun Jolly: 43.3
DT Da'Jon Terry: 42.3
OLB Nick Hampton: 36.4
DT Ty Hamilton: 35.7
DE Decarius Hawthorne: 28.5
6-3, 330
MY SIGNING COMMENTS: This guy could make the team! He's huge and has nice agility--very good lateral movement, too. Rams seem to be going very big on the DL--wise after they got pushed around in the trenches last season
Longshot but seems like a good guy willing to keep working
Northern Illinois S Nate Valcarcel
POST 53 COMMENT: I was half-right. I never saw him as being a great talent, but he was talked up by the “experts,” so I thought he had a shot. He’s on the PS, though, so half-right.
Aug. 13 comments: Everyone says he has a chance, and he looked good in the game. Very good PFF grade. Got burned by the Cowboy's backup QB on a TD run to the sideline when he jumped on a pump fake and that allowed the QB to run away and score. He could easily make the team if there are injuries.
PFF grades: Top 5 defense
CB Cam Lampkin: 83.2
CB Charles Woods: 82.3
S Nate Valcarcel: 78.0
OLB Jamil Muhammad: 73.0
S Tanner Ingle: 71.3
6-1, 192
MY SIGNING COMMENTS: Couldn't find much on him
NC State RB Jordan Waters
POST 53 COMMENT: I was right. I read that some fans liked his size, and he is bigger than any other Ram back—but only 215!—but he had no chance. Like Torres, no one thought he had a chance, so no real skill in saying he was a very long shot.
Aug. 13 comments: Didn't do as well as other backs in the game. A very long shot.
Just putting out there what Dan, who is an ex-teammate and close friend of Stafford said.
There's nothing "100%" about this, still think there's at least a 50% chance Staff comes back for '26. Make of this what you will.
AS the Los Angeles Rams enter the 2025-26 NFL season, questions about the longevity of Matthew Stafford’s career have begun to roll in.On Monday, ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky weighed in on the Pat McAfee Show, suggesting that this could be Stafford’s “last run” with head coach Sean McVay.“I don’t think...
36 min in for Jourdan on Rams, Alaric, Stafford, Garrapolo, Adams, Corum, 12 personnel, Higbee, Coby, Ferguson and McVay wanting all the backups so the offense can function the way he wants it. Oh and the defense, who's in the Michael Hoecht role, talk about the back 7!
Fantastic listen. Dare I say must listen. So many answers to topics we've had about offense.
That sounds..... Wrong. Anyhoo, the dude makes a reference to Braden Fisk as Kingpin, calls the Chargers the "renters", makes multiple corny song references, including a Skid Row song when mentioning Byron Young... Good stuff here, haha.
I time stamped it for the Rams portion, as the vid is over 5 hrs long, but there are some interesting takes on other teams as well.
We've all been waiting/wondering when/if McVay would start using 12 personnel at a much higher rate... and I think we're finally here!!
4 legit tight ends on the roster.. it's a big jump from the start of last season!!!
As has been told on here and other places.. the Oregon offense incorporated quite a few Rams concepts and that should help get him opportunities to thrive earlier than typical for a rookie TE.
I'm not expecting a Bowers/Laporta type rookie season.. but maybe something between Dalton Kincade and Tucker Kraft. I'm thinking 40-50 catches is absolutely possible. His YAC potential is really, really high.. can easily see them using TE screens.. chip block/release actions to get him into those YAC situations. I was waiting to see him on the field before getting too excited.. but seeing him track that ball from Winn.. and then his movement on the second catch with the ball... Yeah, the kid's got a ton of talent. He may not be ready to be an every down in-line blocker.. but as a second TE in movement??? That's gonna be fun in the run game.
Higbee is very solid.. Parkinson wasn't great.. but is a functional NFL TE and a big mofo in the run game... Davis Allen as a 4th is a really solid player. It's just a heck of a group, imo.
The Rams power game could go to the next level... and T-Ferg could be a legitimate weapon in 12 personnel by end of season.
This will finally be the year we see the Rams really embrace that 12 grouping, imo.
Ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft, one of the biggest needs that the Los Angeles Rams had to solve was adding to their pass rush depth behind Jared Verse and Byron Young. The two are productive pass rushers, but the players behind them are unproven after the departure of Michael Hoecht in free agency.
Thus, the Rams selected Josaiah Stewart, a pass rusher from Michigan, to help fill out the room. It initially came as a surprise that the Rams selected him in the third round, as this wasn’t viewed as an early-round need for the team. However, Stewart was undeniably a talented prospect, so the pick was more than fine.
At first, it seemed like Stewart was designated to be the team’s designated pass rusher, a rotational subpackage pass rusher put in for obvious passing situations. Given his slight frame at 6’1 and roughly 240 pounds, this made sense. However, a snippet from Jourdan Rodrigue’s story in The Athletic revealed an interesting tidbit about how the Rams plan on utilizing Stewart and could spell a different role for Byron Young.
“Josaiah Stewart, the outside linebacker out of Michigan whom the Rams selected with pick No. 90, is a little bit of a nostalgic pick who also follows their pattern of late. The high-motor pass rusher has the athleticism and personality to fill the role in the five-man rush packages left by Michael Hoecht in free agency…Stewart will now be the youngest, but he already has the personality and position flexibility to slot into what the Rams call their “Cheetah” package, which presents extra pass rushers who can either purely rush, simulate pressure or even drop into coverage in some instances.”
These “five-man rush packages” are the Rams’ penny fronts, a 5-1 front that the Rams often use in base formations. That’s where Michael Hoecht played the most often for the Rams there, and the Rams won the Super Bowl with these fronts at the, well, forefront of their defense.
This emphasis on Stewart as a “base” defender, as well as a later near-trade that almost happened for a similar pass rusher in the draft, almost seems to point to a bigger role in mind for Stewart than originally anticipated. Perhaps, Stewart could be headed for the starting job opposite Jared Verse, which Byron Young currently occupies, to take Young off the field on run-downs.
It certainly seems like a signal of their desire to improve in every facet of the game to make a deep playoff push. Regardless of how the snaps shake out, the Rams definitely improved their defensive front.
I hope we will still see that 5 man rush. I know we did it out of necessity last year
I don't know that we will need to help our 4 man rush this year, still it would be intriguing to see Stewart
operate in the role Hoecht played in that package.
Another gentleman I'm excited to see is Brennan Jackson. Got injured early Last year
Him being a rookie- catching up with the rest of the team was not possible
But I hear he is having nice camp. At 6'4" 263lbs he still moves well
Mastodon's former lead guitarist died in a motorcycle accident where an SUV failed to yield at a turn and hit him dead on.
This hits me fucking hard. Mastodon is a band I grew up with for years and years, ever since my teenaged years. I haven't been a fan as long as other fans of the band; Crack the Skye is where I got my start, but I quickly grew to love them, and I have more of their songs on my iPhone than any other band not named BackStreet Boys (don't laugh; they're my childhood). I listened to his vocals for years. This just...this just hits hard.
Rest in peace and paradise, Brett. I know your brother is there with you.
One interesting thing and kind of a scheduling anomaly is our first 7 games feature 5 non conference teams. A slow start wouldn't be the worst thing if Stafford needs more time to get right. We also get two division games inside the first half of the season and both are against the whiners. A fast start would of course be ideal.
heavy.com
