The Los Angeles Rams were scheduled to have three days of mandatory minicamp this week but after two good practices, Sean McVay decided to let his players break early before training camp next month. The Rams have a lot of rookies who are getting acclimated to the NFL, as well as a handful of veterans returning from injuries or down years in 2022.
It’s still early in the offseason and the competition will really heat up during training camp, but minicamp provides us a first real look at the team in practice before the pads come on next month.
Here’s what we learned from the two days of minicamp, including some quotes from McVay and his take on things.
Aaron Donald and Alaric Jackson were excused from camp
McVay made it clear that he had no issue with Donald and Jackson missing minicamp, even though it’s considered mandatory. He said both players communicated well ahead of time that they’d be absent for family reasons, so they were excused from the two days of practice. McVay didn’t give any reasons for their absences beyond that.
Tutu Atwell is shining
McVay spoke highly of several players this week, but no one received higher praise than Atwell. The head coach said Atwell has “been outstanding” and is “becoming a more complete player.” He likes the way he’s shown aggressive hands and the ability to play multiple positions at wide receiver, while also noting how smart he is as a player. That’s great news for Atwell, who’s looking to carve out a role as the No. 3 receiver for the Rams.
Steve Avila working with starters, Brian Allen with backups
Avila was among the players to receive a shoutout from McVay for the job he’s done so far and we can see from one photo shared on the Rams’ website that he’s working with the first-team offense at left guard, alongside A.J. Arcuri.
There was another photo shared by the Rams that showed Allen working with the backups, blocking for Brett Rypien – who is presumably running the third-team offense. Great news for Avila, not-so-good news for Allen.
Steve Avila: working with the first team
Brian Allen: working with the…third team?
(photos via Rams) pic.twitter.com/x7UeAiPNuL
— Cameron DaSilva (@camdasilva) June 14, 2023
Ben Skowronek sidelined, Van Jefferson being limited
It’s only June but the Rams are already dealing with a few injuries. Skowronek has been sidelined while “working through some foot stuff,” and the team is being smart with Jefferson by limiting his workload “some days.”
McVay said rookie tackle Warren McClendon has “kind of missed some time here and there,” as well, so there are some players who will be recovering in the next month before training camp begins.
Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson has been out a few weeks with a hamstring injury
Hodges-Tomlinson is another player dealing with an injury. McVay said he suffered a hamstring injury a couple of weeks ago and has been out ever since, but he doesn’t expect it to affect his availability for the start of traiing camp.
“He got a hamstring a couple weeks ago and so really just want to be smart with how we get him back into his workload and his rhythm and routine.”
4 rookies have stood out to McVay so far
McVay was asked about rookies that have stood out to him in OTAs and minicamp and he had four names in mind: Puka Nacua, Avila, Kobie Turner and undrafted rookie Mike McAllister. Nacua and Avila were unsurprising bright spots, and Turner was a Day 2 pick so he should be making a good impression, too. But McAllister receiving a nod from McVay is interesting and he could put some added pressure on Allen at center, too.
Cooper Kupp is making progress
Kupp is making progress in his ankle rehab, increasing his workload from OTAs to minicamp by doing individual drills. McVay said he hasn’t been in the team’s “competitive settings,” but when training camp begins, “he’ll be ready to go.” Kupp missed part of OTAs for the birth of his child but he’s on track to be ready next month.
Derion Kendrick making plays
According to team reporter Stu Jackson, Kendrick was a bright spot in the first practice of minicamp. He broke up a deep pass intended for Atwell and nearly had two other interceptions later on in the day, performing well in the Rams secondary. Los Angeles has a lot of unproven talent at cornerback so Kendrick’s apparent improvement is a welcomed sight.
Hard to miss Derion Kendrick: The second-year cornerback’s instincts were on display throughout team drills. He broke up a deep pass by quarterback Matthew Stafford down the sideline intended for wide receiver Tutu Atwell. During the next period, he anticipated another Stafford throw toward Atwell on the opposite sideline which, had he timed it a fraction of a second sooner, likely would’ve had an interception. During redzone work, Kendrick nearly corralled an interception after the ball ricocheted off tight end Tyler Higbee’s hands.
Rookie special teams unit off to a good start
McVay seems pleased with the job the Rams’ four rookie specialists have done so far, from Christopher Dunn and Tanner Brown kicking to Ethan Evans punting and holding to Alex Ward’s snaps.
“I think they’ve done a good job. It has been a small sample size and you’re not seeing a real rush on both sides. I’ve been pleased with both kickers. (P) Ethan has done a really nice job. I think you’ve been really impressed with him overall, not exclusively as a punter, but also just as a holder. Doing a great job to be able to set up Chris and Tanner. And so, there’s a lot of things to be done. I’ve also thought Alex Ward has done a really good job as a long snapper, so you’re talking about four rookies.
Joint practices with Broncos and Raiders confirmed
McVay confirmed the Rams will hold joint practices with the Raiders and Broncos in August before each of their preseason matchups. This was previously reported, but McVay now gave confirmation of those practices, which he’s excited about because of the lack of playing time key starters get in the preseason.
“We’ll do that with both the Raiders and the Broncos and so that’ll represent four opportunities for us,” he said. “It’s nice because the schedule lays out where all of our games are on Saturday, so that’ll represent on those game weeks where we’ll get good practice on Wednesday and Thursdays of those weeks.
