LOS ANGELES — Rams head coach Sean McVay can’t help but be thrilled when the defensive unit has a standout day like the group did Saturday as they returned to their Woodland Hills training facility.
Kam Curl and Kamren Kinchens secured interceptions off Matthew Stafford in the early moments of 11-on-11 drills. Myles Garrett closed the day with a pick-six touchdown off the edge to finish the day, a sign of the elite tenacity that the reigning Defensive Player of the Year showcases on a daily basis.
When the offensive has its woes, McVay said, it isn’t a frustrating moment as long as the errors aren’t from sloppy plays, poor execution or communication. On Saturday, the defense was just far and away “outstanding,” McVay said, adding that it was the best day the unit has had during training camp.
“There was great coverage, some great individual plays, disruption in timing and rhythm,” McVay said. “It was a great day for the defense. … Throwing and catching was a real struggle, but that was a real credit to great defensive play.”
The Rams’ stout defense wasn’t the only storyline emerging from Rams training camp. Here are other takeaways and notes from Rams training camp as they enter their third week on the field:
‘No update’ on Aaron Donald
Three-time Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald spent Friday morning practicing at UCLA as he continues to mull whether to return from his 2023 retirement and join the Rams, potentially bolstering a team already pegged as Super Bowl favorites.
A group of kids swarmed Donald, 35, outside of the Bruins’ practice facility and asked him the question: Is he coming out of retirement?
Donald, who worked out for the Rams on Tuesday at Loyola Marymount, said he isn’t quite sure.
“I don’t know yet,” he said. “We’re (going to) see.”
Early during the Rams’ two weeks spent at LMU for training camp, McVay stated that fans should not expect an update on Donald until the team returned to Woodland Hills. When asked Saturday if there’s any update on Donald, McVay said there is not.
“No update on that as of right now,” McVay said.
Donald’s return could shift defensive lineman Braden Fiske into more of a depth-focused role. Fiske said Thursday that he’s trying to view the potential addition of the future Hall of Fame lineman as a positive.
“I try to think of being impacted in the right way, in a healthy way of I can learn from him if he does choose (to return),” Fiske said. “And if he doesn’t, I love the group that we have, and we’re getting some really good work out here. But, if that’s what he chooses to do, we’re here, we’re going to get some work. And if he’s not, we’ll continue this train rolling and get this thing going.”
Backup quarterback competition
McVay said Saturday afternoon that rookie quarterback Ty Simpson would play in the Rams’ first preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Aug. 15. The first-round pick from April’s NFL draft, who is competing for reps against third-year quarterback Stetson Bennett IV, hasn’t received the bulk share of opportunity behind center during training camp so far.
Most of Simpson’s time on the field has come during Stafford’s off days, built into the team’s four-day blocks. Simpson, who inked a four-year contract with the Rams right before training camp began, spends 11-on-11 drills walking the field with quarterback coach Dave Ragone when not involved with drills – which was what happened Saturday with the team back in Woodland Hills.
When it comes to whether Bennett will play against the Chiefs and in the preseason at all, however, McVay said that it will come down to “seeing established positions” from Bennett, along with similar fundamental aspects of playing quarterback. Last season, with Jimmy Garoppolo as the clear backup quarterback to Stafford, McVay and the Rams held out the veteran quarterback from all preseason action.
Undrafted rookie quarterback Matthew Caldwell is the fourth quarterback on the Rams’ roster.
Corum is ready for more
Blake Corum took a big leap as a part of the Rams’ rushing offense last season when he broke out for 746 rushing yards and six touchdowns playing behind Kyren Williams. Across the season, the pair began to split reps in-game more and more as they developed into a dynamic option for McVay on offense.
Corum said Thursday that his biggest focus during the offseason was on pass catching, something he felt he has shown he has improved upon after the past few weeks of training camp.
He added that his offseason training, in which some of the clips of his unorthodox workouts went viral on social media, was focused on his “nervous system.” The third-year running back trained without shoes on to work his “fast-twitch” muscles.
“(Corum has) just getting more and more comfortable,” McVay said. “He’s so conscientious. He does a great job of kind of understanding what we’re trying to get done, and I think he and Kyren are great complements off one another.”
Joint practice with Cowboys
The Rams will host the Dallas Cowboys, who hold their training camp in Oxnard, for a joint practice Tuesday morning in Woodland Hills. McVay said the Rams won’t game-plan for the practice, but is looking forward to the competition aspect of seeing his team against opposing uniforms for the first time this summer.
“I think when you go against each other as much as we’ve done up to this point, it’s good to be able to just kind of change it up and get a feel to go against different schemes and great players,” McVay said. “(I am) looking forward to being able to go against some different schemes in really all three phases is kind of the the best thing, and some really good personnel that they have.”
Notes
The Rams waived cornerback Drey Norwood, who was an undrafted free agent signing. … On Friday, the Rams added defensive end Daniel Rickert. At 6-foot-2 and 232 pounds, Rickert is an undrafted free agent who played at Virginia during his college career. …
McVay said he wouldn’t know if potential suspensions or punishment from the league on offensive lineman Alaric Jackson and wide receiver Puka Nacua would come before the season begins or not. “I think it it really is all predicated on how the NFL goes about their independent investigation, so once those things get legally handled, then that offers the opportunity for the league to be able to step in,” McVay said. “And we try to have good communication with those guys to get an understanding, but it is on their timeline, not ours, so it’s hard for me to say the answer to that one.”