The Los Angeles Rams took the field for their fifth official practice of training camp on Tuesday but it wasn’t the type of day Sean McVay hoped to see. He was frustrated with the slopiness the team showed, noting players’ poor conditioning and bad execution.
To make matters worse, Cooper Kupp left practice with a hamstring injury that will keep him out a few weeks.
There were some bright spots, notably from two defensive backs and two receivers, but McVay hopes to see better effort from his team moving forward.
1
Cooper Kupp leaves with hamstring injury
The Rams offense was dealt a blow when Kupp left practice with a hamstring injury, which is expected to sideline him for a few weeks. He pulled up on a route in the red zone and was unable to finish practice, leaving the Rams without their top receiver and playmaker.
He should be back before the regular season, which is the important thing, but the offense will be looking for other guys to step up in his absence.
2
It was a sloppy day in McVay’s eyes
Sean McVay seemed none too pleased with the job the Rams did in practice Tuesday. He didn’t like the effort or the stamina that his players showed, which he was frustrated by. Monday’s session wasn’t perfect, either, but McVay was visibly displeased with what he saw on the field Tuesday, saying as much after practice.
“Just with this team, we’ve got a real long way to go,” he said. “Today was not very good overall. I thought we were very sloppy, not sharp on both sides of the football and so if we want to continue to try to do the things that we’re doing and take steps in the right direction, we have to be better than we were today.”
3
Steve Avila, other rookies need better conditioning
Overall, McVay likes what he’s seen from the team’s top draft pick, but he noted that he got tired on Tuesday. He says with all of the team’s rookies, they need better conditioning and they have to show they can get through these practices without showing fatigue.
“I thought he’s done good. I thought he got tired today,” McVay said. “I thought we were tired overall, but I do like what Steve has – I’m a big believer in Steve Avila. I think he’s got a lot of ability. I like his mindset and mentality, but like all of these rookies, this is a different deal and we’ve got to really condition and callous ourselves physically and mentally to be able to sustain throughout the course of a regular season and we got to be able to push through on these types of days. The easy thing is to not try to do that, but we can’t afford to do that. But I’m encouraged with Steve and I know he’s going to continue to learn from all of his reps, whether they be good or bad.”
4
Puka Nacua impresses again
With Kupp out, Nacua will get even more opportunities to run with the first-team offense. He’s already stood out in practice all offseason and he continued to do so on Tuesday. Team reporter Stu Jackson pointed out Nacua’s strong and aggressive hands on three receptions from Matthew Stafford, a great sign for the rookie receiver.
“Yeah, he did a nice job, made some nice plays,” Stafford said. “Drew a pass interference on a long ball down there which I thought was a nice play by him, a little bit underthrown by me. So, nice play by him jumping back into the defender on that one, getting that call for us.”
I’ve counted at least three times this practice where Puka Nacua has shown strong, reliable hands catching passes from Matthew Stafford
— Stu Jackson (@StuJRams) August 2, 2023
5
Quentin Lake and Russ Yeast come up in coverage
Lake and Yeast are projected to be two of the top three safeties on defense, with Jordan Fuller being the other. The two second-year safeties have had a good first week of training camp, standing out on Tuesday with a great play to prevent a completion down the field.
The Rams need at least one of the two to step up in place of Nick Scott and Taylor Rapp, but in all likelihood, both Yeast and Lake will get opportunities to play meaningful snaps this season.
Quentin Lake and Russ Yeast team up to break up deep Stafford pass intended for Atwell. Yeast got the hand on the ball, but both were right there in coverage
— Stu Jackson (@StuJRams) August 2, 2023
6
Tutu Atwell showing aggressive hands
This could be the year Atwell breaks out for the Rams. By all accounts, he’s had a great offseason and continues to take positive steps toward being a more well-rounded receiver rather than just a deep threat with good speed.
On Tuesday, he caught the attention of reporters for a strong catch he made over the middle, showing good hands to come down with it despite defenders trying to rip it from his grasp.
DB in coverage tried to rip the ball from Tutu’s grasp, but Tutu held on firmly, which was also impressive https://t.co/zpj9ah2HGQ
— Stu Jackson (@StuJRams) August 2, 2023
Not for the first time this camp, Tutu Atwell making sweet, all-hands, contested catches over the middle of the field. The growth is undeniable. Good for him and the Rams.
— J.B. Long (@JB_Long) August 2, 2023
