News Dump: Observations From Los Angeles Rams Training Camp, Karty In LA

With week one of Los Angeles Rams training camp in the books, all eyes are on padded practice this week. Here are some observations from the first week of camp.

Observations From Los Angeles Rams Camp

Special Teams

Special teams opened practice with Jordan Whittington, Kyren Williams , and Tutu Atwell running kick returner drills.

The kick returner position is an open one with Austin Trammel no longer with the team. These three along with Xavier Smith could return kicks this season.

Related: Sean McVay Expresses Frustration With Potential Starting Defensive Linemen

Xavier Smith Has Shot To Make The 53

Smith has done nothing but impress in the limited action he’s gotten. He connected with Jimmy G multiple times during drills.

The Defense Is Going To Play Hungry

The Los Angeles Rams have one of the youngest defenses in the league, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Every time someone has made a play their sideline has erupted with cheers. They’ve got a lot of time to grow together and the future looks bright.

A Lot Of Tutu Atwell

One of the primary targets for Stafford, when it wasn’t Puka Nacua or Cooper Kupp, was Atwell. Stafford found Tutu a couple of times deep during drills and had two impressive catches.

Colby Parkinson Most Polished All-Around Tight End.

Out of the three tight ends the Rams have after Tyler Higbee , Colby Parkinson, Hunter Long , and Davis Allen , Parkinson has looked the most polished. Last season Parkinson caught 25 balls for 247 yards and 2 touchdowns. He’s still relatively young at 25 and although he hasn’t been very productive as a receiver, he wasn’t getting enough opportunities to do so.

Los Angeles Rams Secondary Is Deep

What was once the weakest aspect of the defense could easily be a strength this year. Whether it was the first or second team out on the field that unit seemed to anchor the defense.

John Johnson almost got a pick on Jimmy G, there were many PBUs, and if it weren’t for some great throws by Stafford, there would’ve been more.

Related: Los Angeles Rams Free Agent Solidified As Leader At Training Camp

Offense Will Feature A Lot Of Motion, Similar To Miami’s Offense

One of the main things I noticed about the team drills was nearly every play featured some sort of motion which isn’t surprising at all using it on 70.4% of play calls. The interesting thing to note was Demarcus Robinson and Nukua running the cheat motion made popular by Miami’s offense last season.

Jimmy G Has Backup Role Locked Up

At this point in camp, the Los Angeles Rams backup role is Garoppolo’s role to lose, he’s been working with the second team for all of camp and is the clear front-runner.

Run Game Will Be Explosive And Tough

One of the main takeaways from watching the run game was Blake Corum’s game. Corum who’s known for being a power back notably had a lot of burst in team drills. The team drafted him to be an extension of Kyren Williams, and that certainly looks to be the case through camp so far.

Joshua Karty Kicks Bombs

In the very limited action we saw, the rookie kicker attempted two field goals and made both with room to spare. His kicks reminded me of training camp 3 years ago when I saw Matt Gay and had similar thoughts. A lot to be optimistic about on special teams.

More must-reads:

• New Prediction Names Matthew Stafford as 1st Ballot Hall of Famer in 2032
• Los Angeles Rams’ 2024 Veteran Free Agent is Already a Solidified Leader At Training Camp