Rams RB Kyren Williams showed no lingering effects from his OTA foot injury during the Rams' offseason program.
The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue expects Rams TE Colby Parkinson to have a "big role in this next iteration of [Sean] McVay's offense.” The 25-year-old spent his first four seasons in Seattle, totaling 57 catches, 618 yards, and 4 TDs. Back in March, he signed a three-year contract with a surprising $15.5 million guaranteed.
Rams RB Kyren Williams was back on the field for Thursday's practice. He missed some time earlier this offseason with what HC Sean McVay called a "foot issue." McVay said then that Williams would be out until training camp, but he's clearly well ahead of schedule.
Rams RB Kyren Williams is expected to be sidelined until training camp with a "foot issue," HC Sean McVay said. “It’s nothing to worry about. He’ll be ready to go for training camp, but there’s a little issue when he was training, and [I’ll] kind of just leave it at that," McVay added. "But nothing to be concerned about. ... He’ll be ready to roll and be a consistent producer for us this year.”
Rams GM Les Snead said the selection of RB Blake Corum in this year's draft was to help keep RB Kyren Williams fresh. "It's a tough league; it's a 17-game season plus playoffs, might go to 18 games one day," Snead said. "So we always felt like we needed to have as many quality runners as possible so we don't just totally run down Kyren, and we have one or two, or even three guys that can contribute, keep everyone fresh, and let's go and try to impose our will." HC Sean McVay made a similar comment shortly after the draft, noting that the team sees a lot of similarities between Williams and Corum.
The Rams spent a third-round pick on RB Blake Corum from Michigan. Corum played behind Hassan Haskins as a sophomore in 2021, ripping off 6.6 yards per carry and scoring 11 times on 144 carries (7.6% TD rate). Then came a huge 2022 season: 247 carries for 1,463 yards and 18 TDs in 12 games. All three marks ranked top-13 in the country. Corum averaged a strong 5.9 yards per carry, finishing first in Pro Football Focus rushing grade among 168 qualifying RBs. His 2022 campaign ended, though, with a torn meniscus in his left knee in late November. That injury played a part in Corum’s decision to return to Michigan for his senior year. He put up big numbers again in 2023 – 258 carries for 1,245 yards and an FBS-high 27 TDs – but his advanced metrics were down. Corum averaged just 4.8 yards per carry and sunk to 71st in PFF rushing grade among 157 qualifiers. So the big question here is whether Corum can regain that 2022 form. If he does, he’ll prove to be one of the best pure runners in this year’s RB class. If not, we’re looking at an undersized back (205 lbs.) that doesn’t offer a ton in the passing game. Kyren Williams dominated backfield work for the Rams in 2023, but the team had little else in the backfield. There's a chance Corum takes a significant amount of work from Williams. Expect him to stay close to his early rookie ADP.
The Rams selected Edge Jared Verse with the 19th pick in Round 1 of the NFL Draft. Verse enjoyed a productive two seasons at Florida State after transferring from Albany. He tallied 9 sacks each year, and 29.5 total tackles for loss across those two years. Verse then delivered strong straightline speed (97th percentile speed score) at the Scouting Combine. We're a little concerned about his slow 3-cone time (7.31 seconds, 32nd percentile). Verse will make for a solid pick in IDP rookie drafts, though.
The Rams signed QB Jimmy Garoppolo to a one-year deal. He was decent for the Raiders early last season but then suffered a back injury and struggled when he returned, eventually getting benched. Garoppolo is a subpar NFL starter but a quality backup for the Rams behind 36-year-old Matt Stafford.
Rams DL Aaron Donald has announced his retirement after 10 NFL seasons. He won three defensive player of the year awards, 2014 defensive rookie of the year, and eight first-team All-Pro honors. The coming season will be the Rams' first without Donald in the lineup since 2013. From 2014-2023, he missed just nine total regular-season games. L.A. will obviously be hard-pressed to ever find another D-lineman near Donald's level. Expect them to look for help in that area with the 19th pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, though.
Former Seahawks TE Colby Parkinson will be signing with the Rams for three years, $22.5 million, according to NFL.com. That deal includes $15.5 million in guarantees and could void after two years if Parkinson reaches certain performance incentives. This pretty clearly positions Parkinson as the top pass-catching hope at the position for the Rams. So if you've been taking TE Davis Allen late in 2024 best ball drafts -- stop. And don't get your hopes up for Tyler Higbee's swift return from the double-ligament tear he suffered in the playoff loss to Detroit. Parkinson's interesting in the same range of best ball drafts as Allen's been going (TE28 in Underdog Fantasy ADP) -- especially if you already have QB Matthew Stafford.
Rams HC Sean McVay said from the Combine that TE Tyler Higbee's return timeline from knee surgery is "unclear," according to The Athletic's Jourdan Rodrigue. Higbee tore both his right ACL and MCL in the Wild Card loss to the Lions, which likely delayed the surgery. He's not a great bet to be ready for the start of the 2024 campaign and is an avoid in early best-ball drafts. Davis Allen is the best fantasy bet among Rams TEs right now, but the team could certainly add to the position this offseason.
The Rams re-signed WR Demarcus Robinson to a one-dear, $5 million deal. He flashed in 2023 with 26-371-4 across only 8 games. He'll likely stick in the Rams' WR3 role behind Puka Nacua Cooper Kupp, supplying some late-round fantasy appeal.
QB Jimmy Garoppolo has been suspended two games for violating the NFL's Performance Enhancing Substances Policy, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Garoppolo reportedly used a banned medication without having an exception from the league. He will not appeal the suspension and will miss the first two games of the 2024 campaign. Schefter also confirms that the Raiders will release Garoppolo before the fifth day of the new league year in mid-March, saving the team an $11.25 million roster bonus. Garoppolo will be able to participate in the offseason program and training camp with his new team, despite the suspension. The Raiders, meanwhile, will be left with QBs Aidan O'Connell and Brian Hoyer. They'll certainly add to that group in free agency and/or the draft.
Rams RB Kyren Williams had surgery to repair a broken bone in his hand, HC Sean McVay said Wednesday. Williams hurt his left hand in the fourth quarter of the Wild Card loss to the Lions. We'll look for more details on the procedure and timeline for return. Williams could miss some of the offseason program, but this injury shouldn't impact his 2024 campaign.
The Rams believe TE Tyler Higbee tore his right ACL when he took a direct shot to that knee from Lions S Kerby Joseph in Sunday night's Wild Card loss, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. Higbee is scheduled for an MRI on Monday. If the torn ACL is confirmed, Higbee will be up against it to be ready for the start of the 2024 campaign. The 31-year-old is signed with the Rams for two more seasons. Fifth-round rookie TE Davis Allen flashed a bit down the stretch this year and will have an opportunity to earn a bigger role in 2024, although the Rams are likely to add to the position this offseason.
Update: The ACL tear has been confirmed. HC Sean McVay said that Higbee also tore the MCL in his right knee.
Rams TE Tyler Higbee (shoulder) is active for tonight's Wild Card game vs. the Lions. He was limited in practice all week and carries some re-injury risk. But this is a plus matchup against Detroit's 24th-ranked TE defense.
Rams TE Tyler Higbee (shoulder) was limited in practice all week and is listed as questionable for Sunday's Wild Card game vs. the Lions. HC Sean McVay said Friday that he expects Higbee to play. He has some cheap DFS appeal against Detroit's 24th-ranked TE defense.
Rams TE Tyler Higbee (shoulder) got in a limited practice on Wednesday. That gives him a chance to return for Sunday's Wild Card game vs. the Lions' 24th-ranked TE defense. We'll keep tabs on Higbee's progress over the next few days.
Rams HC Sean McVay announced Wednesday that certain starters won't play at all in the regular-season finale. He did not include WR Puka Nacua in that group. So what's the plan? Nacua sits 3 receptions and 28 yards shy of NFL rookie records in both categories. And it sounds like McVay wants to get him there. "I think you'd like to be able to see him get an opportunity to do something special and then be smart with him," the coach told reporters Wednesday. What's that mean? Expect Nacua to get early opportunities to reach those marks. And as soon as that happens, expect the team's leader in targets, catches, and receiving yards (by wide margins) to hit the bench. A 3-30 receiving line doesn't offer much fantasy help, so we'd lean away from playing Nacua in Week 18 lineups if you can help it. WRs Demarcus Robinson and Tutu Atwell and TE Davis Allen look like the best receiving bets for the Rams this week -- though we're all basically guessing at exactly how the Carson Wentz-led offense will look.
Rams TE Tyler Higbee (shoulder) is out for Sunday's game vs. the 49ers. Los Angeles is holding some starters out of this game, but HC Sean McVay that Higbee is out due to the dislocated shoulder he suffered last week. We'll see if he can make it back for the playoffs. Davis Allen figures to serve as the Rams' lead TE this weekend.
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