9 key takeaways from Rams training camp
Cameron DaSilva
August 11, 2021 1:58 pm PT
The regular season is still about a month away for the Los Angeles Rams, but they took the next step in the offseason by finishing training camp on Tuesday. They’ve departed UC Irvine and gone back to their headquarters in Thousand Oaks, preparing for their three preseason games and eventually the Bears in Week 1.
Sean McVay said the team will remain in training camp mode and still plans to keep the level of competition high in the upcoming practices, but camp is officially in the books.
Here are nine things we learned from the Rams’ 10 practices of training camp.
1
DeSean Jackson has still got it
(AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo)
It’s only August and Jackson hasn’t played a single game with the Rams yet, but it’s hard not to get excited about his potential in this offense now that he’s reunited with Sean McVay. He’s caught several deep passes from Matthew Stafford, including ones where he absolutely blew by the entire defense and found himself with nothing but green grass around.
Whether he’s truly the No. 3 receiver or a situational receiver, Jackson is going to have an impact this season after shining in camp. It’s just a matter of staying healthy and capitalizing on the opportunities when they’re presented.
2
The interior offensive line is a big question mark
Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports
So much for Austin Corbett moving from right guard to center, huh? That seemed like the plan all offseason after the Rams opted not to add a center in the draft, but things changed in the final days of training camp when Brian Allen took over for Corbett.
McVay said Allen would be the Rams’ starting center right now, with Corbett remaining at right guard. Whether that’s good news or bad is still to be determined, but it’s hard to feel overly confident in Allen as a starter unless he’s improved dramatically from the last time he played in 2019.
It’s unclear if Corbett or Bobby Evans was the weak link up front, but one of them must have disappointed McVay enough to change his mind about the center-right guard combo.
3
Jordan Fuller will likely assume the role of John Johnson
(AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo)
Fuller was a surprise starter as a sixth-round rookie last year and there’s absolutely no question that he’s going to maintain his spot in the secondary this season. If anything, his role is going to be even larger than it was in 2020.
Fuller wore the green dot in practice as the defensive signal caller, aligning his teammates and relaying the calls from Raheem Morris to the rest of the group. That’s the job Johnson had last season and Fuller has begun making a seamless transition to that leadership role. He’s smart, rangy and a good tackler, making him a similar player to Johnson – which is obviously a compliment for the second-year safety.
4
Matthew Stafford has lived up to the hype
(AP Photo/John McCoy)
Simply by being traded from the Lions to the Rams, Stafford’s stock has skyrocketed, going from being viewed as a decent quarterback to someone who can legitimately win NFL MVP. His performance in training camp has only solidified that narrative, living up to all of the expectations that fans and the Rams have had up to this point.
He’s made no-look passes, drawn rave reviews from Jalen Ramsey for his ball placement and taken shots down the field, consistently hitting Jackson for big plays. McVay couldn’t be more impressed with his new quarterback, a great sign for the upcoming season.
5
The Rams like their current group of running backs
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
McVay said at the start of camp that he liked who the Rams had at running back behind Cam Akers, who suffered a torn Achilles before camp even began. The team didn’t add a single running back in the last few weeks, a sign that McVay wasn’t exaggerating with the confidence he had in Darrell Henderson Jr., Xavier Jones and Jake Funk.
Jones seems to be the favorite to back up Henderson, with both players making plays in practice this summer. Funk has also impressed his coaches and been lauded as a smart rookie, making him a near-lock to make the 53-man roster. The Rams could still add a running back, but camp did nothing to change McVay’s mind about the current corps.
6
The nickel role remains up for grabs
(AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo)
David Long Jr. is still the likeliest player to secure the No. 3 cornerback job, but Terrell Burgess stood out for all the right reasons in camp, while Kareem Orr and Donte Deayon also performed well in practice.
Long hasn’t yet locked up the nickel role, even if he is the top candidate for the job. It’ll be fascinating to watch who plays where and how much in the preseason as the Rams attempt to sort out their cornerback group. Robert Rochell’s wrist surgery gives Long an even clearer path to the CB3 spot, but no one should be counted out right now.
7
We’re gaining some clarity at inside linebacker
(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Coming into training camp, it was far from clear which players would be the starting linebackers. Now leaving camp, we have a good idea of at least one starter after Kenny Young emerged and stepped up in a big way this summer.
We still don’t know who will start next to him or how the snap counts will shake out, but Young has a good grasp of one starting spot for now. That’s great news for the Rams, who had arguably the worst linebacker unit in the NFL last season.
Now if Travin Howard or Ernest Jones can keep up their promising trajectory, Los Angeles will be in decent hands at this position.
8
Rookies were relatively quiet at UC Irvine
(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Tutu Atwell began camp on the reserve/COVID-19 list, Jacob Harris missed time early on with a minor injury, Bobby Brown III injured his thumb and underwent surgery, while Robert Rochell also had a procedure done to fix his banged-up wrist.
Needless to say, it wasn’t the most productive or encouraging camp for the Rams’ rookies. Atwell did make some plays when he returned and Ernest Jones played consistently at linebacker, but for the most part, the team’s first-year players were quiet in Irvine. Thankfully, there’s still the preseason for them to gain experience.
9
Donald and Ramsey are still Donald and Ramsey
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Also, water is wet, the sun sets in the west and the sky is blue.
But in all seriousness, the Rams’ two stud defenders didn’t miss a beat in camp. Ramsey was a difficult matchup for every receiver he covered, while Donald was the game-wrecker he’s always been.
As long as these two stay healthy and play the way they did last season, Los Angeles will have a top-10 defense, if not a top-five unit again. The combination of Donald’s pass rushing and Ramsey’s sticky coverage makes playing quarterback against the Rams incredibly difficult.
