LOS ANGELES – With the pads coming on for the first time on Monday, the Rams defense had a chance to make an opening statement for what it might look like now, without Aaron Donald, with Chris Shula guiding the ship.
The defense made that statement a good one, particularly in the run game. The defensive line and linebackers got into the backfield regularly, meeting running backs behind the line of scrimmage and generally disrupting any rhythm the Rams offense was trying to build.
“I feel like we had a really good day today,” safety Kamren Curl said. “I feel like this is a good foundation to build off of and we just gotta keep going forward.”
With Kobie Turner (groin) limited to individual drills, rookie defensive tackle Braden Fiske was at the center of that disruption. The second-round pick did a good job of getting off of blocks against the Rams’ first-team offensive line.
“I thought the energy from the defense was outstanding,” head coach Sean McVay said. “I really felt Braden Fiske today. He showed up in a big way. I think we had some things in that were in alignment that fit his skillset to allow him to really thrive and he took advantage of it.”
The defense had its moments in the passing game, too, with safety Russ Yeast diving in front of a pass to nearly intercept Stetson Bennett IV. The offense found a bit more rhythm during the red-zone portion of the practice, with Jimmy Garoppolo throwing the ball up to a leaping Hunter Long for a touchdown.
Still, the defense walked away encouraged, with an eye toward how the energy carried over to Tuesday.
“Usually, the second day of pads is when you learn something,” Curl said. “First day of pads, everybody’s geeked up, ready to go. So second day is really when you see who really wants to be physical, who wants to do it again.”
The Rams have a handful of players vying for the sixth receiver job on the active roster. Second-year undrafted free agent Xavier Smith and five-year veteran Tyler Johnson have each had moments in which they’ve made their cases for the job.
Johnson put together a strong day on Monday with several contested catches along the sideline during team drills.
“I think he’s been one of the bright spots as far as the overall improvement,” McVay said. “He’s got great aggressive hands at the contact point.”
Quarterback Matthew Stafford was given a veteran rest day on Monday as part of the Rams’ plan to manage his throwing program.
“I think we have a much better grasp of just where he’s at in this part in his career,” McVay said. “You don’t ever want to have any of those elbow issues creep up again. He’s done a phenomenal job of really taking care of it but there is a certain amount of work we want to get in a time.”
Left tackle Alaric Jackson was not present for the team portion of Monday’s practice. The veteran lineman tweaked his ankle in the early part of practice, McVay said, adding that the expectation is it won’t be a long-term issue for the starter.
