Braden Fiske 'full go' as Rams continue OTAs​

Jun 02, 2025 at 12:00 PM

Stu Jackson
Senior Staff Writer

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – As the Rams continue their Phase 3 work of Organized Team Activities (OTAs), Rams defensive end Braden Fiske has been an active participant.

Speaking to local media prior to last Thursday's Rams Revealed Live presented by UNIFY Financial Credit Union, Fiske (right knee injury) said that he is "full go" in those Phase 3 workouts.

"I'm feeling great right now," Fiske said. "Everything went as planned. We're even ahead of the process now (compared to) where I thought I was going to be. I'm full go right now, moving, doing indy (individual drills), doing everything and feeling great."

Fiske injured his right knee in the Rams' playoff loss to the Eagles in January, and underwent a minor procedure to fix it. Head coach Sean McVay in late January said the injury wouldn't impact Fiske's ability to be ready for the 2025 season.

Viewers got a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the ensuing rehab process in Episode 1 of this year's "Behind The Grind" series as Fiske worked with members of Los Angeles' athletic training staff. As he finished one drill at the very end of the segment, he told associate athletic trainer Lawrence
Jones "I didn't lose my superpower."

It turns out an important milestone in that rehab process had been captured.
"It was funny, in that episode, it was the first time I'd really like, taken off and ran and sprinted for – it wasn't even sprinting, it was like a quick five-step first, but that's when I knew, I was like, 'okay, we're feeling good again,'" Fiske said. "Because you go through the rehab process, and a lot of days

are monotonous, you're doing a lot of the same things. You get those opportunities to finally let it loose a little bit to kind of see where you're at. And, that day, great to get it on tape, especially for the film crew. But it was cool for me, and just to get that feeling got me juiced up again. You can see me talking to LJ, our trainer, just like, 'yeah, we're gonna be all right.' So that was a cool moment."

A finalist for last year's NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award after finishing with a team-high 8.5 sacks, Fiske said "the sky's the limit" in terms of expectations for his second season.
"Especially from where I left off last season and how I feel going into this season, I feel great," Fiske said. "I'm ready to roll."

It’s been reported that the rams were interested in moving up for T Mac and that the panthers were like, “not this time buddy”, and asked for a kings ransom. So they felt like they got a raw deal from the rams previously?

In case you want to skip to draft picks Snead talking Ferguson and Jaquez
video is suppose to start at 3;08. if it doesn't , scroll to 3:08 or to beginning of vid.

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I love the studio cronies response to Rich ranking the Rams 4th in his Power Rankings

Rich giving Rams their proper rank,. to the disapproval of his Studio cronies.
Rich sticks to his guns and starts naming off the reasons why Rams will make another run.
Then he ask his cronies if they had reasons Why rams are not deserving of the #4 spot.
Crickets.

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Usually I check out the camp pictures from Rams official site

I look at them and move on no biggie, amusing, time killer

But this picture captures the very essence of what McVay is all about,
The man is constantly Teaching and building repour.
Adams is going to love playing for McVay.

Just a recap of first day. Can't help but to think the resigning of TuTu Is part of a new wrinkle ​

in McVay's offensive attack this year.​

I think we get to see TuTu catching more long balls this year​

JMO But I'm thinking TuTu is going to have more targets this year then ​

anytime in his career . Mcvay Gonna let the Race horse run.​

​

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10 Observations from Rams' first OTA practice of 2025 offseason program: Excused Puka Nacua absence, Davante Adams, Jordan Whittington and Tutu Atwell's playmaking, and more​

May 28, 2025 at 05:01 PM

Stu Jackson
Senior Staff Writer




WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. – The Rams held their first OTA practice on Wednesday. While wide receiver Puka Nacua was not on the field due to an excused absence, that afforded additional snaps and opportunities to fellow receivers Davante Adams, Tutu Atwell and Jordan Whittington to build their connection with quarterback Matthew Stafford.
Here are some of the notes and observations from it:

1) Nacua excused absence due to "special trip" with family: McVay said the wide receiver had been in communication about this trip a couple months in advance and is returning from it today, which is why he wasn't on the field for the team's OTA workout. (And it's worth reiterating these workouts are voluntary until minicamp).

2) Kyren Williams present for OTAs: Even as the Rams running back heads into the final year of his contract, he was present for the team's first OTA workout of the spring.
"Kyren has been the same stud that we know," head coach Sean McVay said. "Great demeanor, great willingness to come out here, to work, to be able to get better. He's been great in terms of our communication. It means a lot, just because, you don't minimize those things are real, and those are real things that guys have to navigate."

3) Extended look at Stafford-Adams connection: Nacua's absence naturally created more opportunities for Matthew Stafford to look new wide receiver Davante Adams' way throughout team drills Wednesday. The tempo and body control Adams is known for playing with was on display on one pass he snared from Stafford over the middle during 11-on-11 work.

4) Competitive mix: As added context, the Rams maintained the same approach with pitting the projected first-team offense against the first-team defense, first-team offense against the second-team defense and vice-versa, and so on.
5) Play of the day: Stafford had a deep touchdown pass over the middle to wide receiver Tutu Atwell, with Atwell displaying the speed he's known for when given the opportunity to make plays.
6) Play of the day, Part II: Nacua's absence also meant more opportunities for second-year receiver Jordan Whittington on Wednesday. His best catch of the day was a leaping, two-handed grab on a corner route toward the sideline.




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Yes Stafford still throwing one of the most beautiful footballs. In the world ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^


7) Getting to see what Forbes can do: Third-year cornerback Emmanuel Forbes didn't see a ton of action after being claimed late last season off waivers from the Commodes, at least until Week 18 against Seattle when Los Angeles rested its starters and gave him 52 defensive snaps and four special teams snaps, according to Pro Football Focus (McVay said Wednesday he thought Forbes "did some really good stuff" in that game). On Wednesday, he intercepted a Jimmy Garoppolo pass intended for wide receiver Xavier Smith on an out-breaking route near the sideline.

8) Jolly on the spot: Cornerback Shaun Jolly corralled an interception Wednesday on a Matthew Stafford pass.
Playmaking like that from Jolly and Forbes is likely why McVay said he feels really good about the development of the group, and where the secondary as a whole is at.

9) Derion Kendrick participating: McVay said it was "good to see" the fourth-year cornerback out there. Kendrick's season ended prematurely last year due to a torn ACL sustained in the first week of camp.

10) Special visitor: Lakers coach JJ Redick took in Wednesday's OTA workout, and also spoke with Rams players.
Rams head coach Sean McVay said he first connected with Redick prior to him getting the Lakers job, and that he "always respected him from afar."
"A well-thought-out guy, a great willingness to look inwardly (for) areas of improvement, understanding how you bring people together," McVay said. "Really enjoyed him coming out."

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Good news. We have two of the top six.

https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/loretta-swit-star-mash-dead-87

She was incredibly hilarious in M.A.S.H.

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Normally thst would worry me.

Peter King predicts NFL could do away with draft ‘in our lifetime’​

Perhaps the biggest difference between American sports compared with rival countries is that leagues like the NFL take on young talent through a draft. Whether you’re talking about Brazilian soccer or French basketball, the academy system outside of the U.S. recruits young athletes to join clubs from a young age and pays them for their services. Longtime Sports Illustrated and NBC Sports NFL insider Peter King believes that before long, the NFL could follow suit.

In a recent appearance on Pro Football Talk at his old network, King declared that “in our lifetime,” players will jump from the SEC or Big 10 into the NFL through a form of free agency rather than an amateur draft.

“At some point, I believe in our lifetime, there’s not going to be a draft,” King said this week. “And college football players will be able to look at the landscape of 32 teams and say, ‘I’d like to go here, I’d like to go there,’ wherever it is.”

Of course, beyond the ramifications for the competitive balance and parity that the league loves so much, it would be a big business hit for the NFL to lose its draft. The event is a well-attended spectacle that has generated a bidding war for its television rights this year.

If the draft was deemed to be a violation of labor laws, the NFL may not have a choice to save its April extravaganza. Still, King believes the league would have no issue creating a replacement event. After all, NFL and NBA free agency are big sports moments — as are college football and basketball signing days.

“The fact is … the NFL has invented events over the years that have become gigantic,” King explained. “Whatever the NFL wants to do, it can do. And if some judge one day says the draft is unconstitutional or whatever, and somebody abolished the draft … and in 2054, there’s no draft, let’s just say. The NFL, at that time, with ‘Commissioner Arch Manning’ will basically say at that time, ‘OK there’s no draft? What event can we figure out? Let’s have a college prospect picking contest to see where they’re going to go, and who are they going to play for?'”

Beyond his joking suggestion for Arch Manning to be a future commissioner of the league, Peter King imagined a single-site, televised selection show where recent Alabama or Oregon grads choose their pro teams.

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“The best players, when they come out of college, why can’t there be an event that we’ll all sort of celebrate as the time that college players go and choose their team? A weekend in early May, or whatever it is,” King said. “All I’m saying is the NFL has proven that if the legal system intercedes, and who knows if it will or won’t, they’ll figure out a way to capitalize on it.”

With recent legal rulings allowing college athletes to profit off their name, image and likeness, and soon for athletic departments to pay them for their play, it would not come as a surprise if an enterprising lawyer tested the legality of the draft before long.

King’s timeline of the next 20-30 years seems more than reasonable for the college-to-pro pipeline to fall away in the NFL and beyond.

Pretty solid short recap of the Superbowl:

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Good depth.

Figure we could do this for OTAs and then ahead of training camp: So, what question do you want answered coming out of OTAs? Is it about corner back depth? Ferguson's ability to pick up the offense? Depth at tackle?

OTA's are tough as there's never a tremendous amount of info coming out of them and so much practice is on air that it's hard to glean anything but two years ago there were rumblings that this Puka kid was pretty smart, picking up everything and worth throwing the kitchen sink at when training camp started.

In the past, it seems like the Rams have seen where they need to add to the roster after OTAs, we may not get an answer for awhile but I'll be curious if we end up adding depth at tackle or Ramsey at CB between now and training camp. I don't see anyone showing enough at CB to make us not at least consider pursuing Ramsey going forward but perhaps one of the tackles has taken a step in the off-seaon so that Rams don't feel like they need to add there ahead of TC (I also find this hard to believe).

Let's honestly debate whether the Rams would've been better off not trading for Ramsey in 2019. I'm torn on that. Yes, he was a lockdown corner for a couple of seasons, but then he demanded a huge salary and priced himself off the Rams--but not before spoiling the trade market by stating his strong preference for Miami. On balance, I don't think the Rams got full value for their two #1s and a 4th rounder for Ramsey and his three seasons

First off, I realize that hindsight is 20/20, and there's no guarantee the Rams would have made these picks if they hadn't traded them for Ramsey.

The Jags did a bad job with those picks themselves.

Even so, with the way Snead has been drafting, maybe the Rams could have done even better without Ramsey. First of all, they could have just drafted a CB or two themselves instead of spending two #1s plus a fourth on Ramsey:

What were Ramsey's PFF scores and ranks at CB during his seasons on the Rams?

• 2019 (9 games): PFF grade not explicitly listed for this partial season with the Rams, but his overall performance included 33 combined tackles, 1 interception, and 5 pass breakups. His PFF grade was likely lower than his peak years due to limited games and adjustment to a new team.
• 2020 (15 games): PFF grade of 77.3, ranked T-8th among CBs.
• 2021 (16 games): PFF grade of 84.4, ranked 1st overall among CBs.
• 2022 (17 games): PFF grade of 86.4, ranked 3rd among CBs (behind Sauce Gardner and Patrick Surtain II).

Those are very good if NOT great stats, but were they worth those two 1s and a fourth?

The Rams could have kept their picks and tried to draft a good CB early:

Top CBs Available at or After No. 20 in 2020

1. Jaylon Johnson (Chicago Bears, No. 50 overall, Round 2)
   • Accolades: Pro Bowl (2023), Second-Team All-Pro (2023)
   • PFF Grades: 91.0 (2023, 2nd among CBs), 82.7 career average
   • Stats (2020-24): 15 INTs, 55 PBUs, 69.2 passer rating allowed, 55.9% completion rate allowed
   • Impact: Johnson has emerged as a lockdown CB, with a 2023 season where he allowed just 0.7 yards per coverage snap. A full-time starter since his rookie year, he signed a 4-year, $76M extension in 2024.
   • Availability: Selected 30 picks after No. 20, easily within reach for the Rams if they'd kept their pick that season.
   • He's arguably been better than Ramsey, especially if you value turnovers! Ramsey had 10 total INTs in 2019-2022 on the Rams.
2. L’Jarius Sneed (Kansas City Chiefs, No. 138 overall, Round 4)
   • Accolades: No Pro Bowls, but First-Team All-Pro (2023)
   • PFF Grades: 88.6 (2023), 80.1 career average
   • Stats (2020-24): 10 INTs, 40 PBUs, 66.7 passer rating allowed, 56.8% completion rate allowed
   • Impact: Sneed was a key part of the Chiefs’ back-to-back Super Bowl wins (2022-23). Traded to the Titans in 2024 for a 3rd-round pick, reflecting his value. Versatile in man and zone coverage.
   • Availability: Picked in the 4th round, well after No. 20. A steal for Kansas City.
   • He has also basically matched Ramsey for INTs.

Top CBs Available at or After No. 25 (1st Round) in 2021

1. Greg Newsome II (Cleveland Browns, No. 26 overall, Round 1)
   • Accolades: No Pro Bowls or All-Pros
   • PFF Grades: 78.7 career average, 80.2 in 2023
   • Stats (2021-24): 2 INTs, 29 PBUs, 73.4 passer rating allowed, 58.2% completion rate allowed
   • Impact: Newsome has been a reliable starter for Cleveland, playing 83% of defensive snaps in 2024. Strong in man coverage, he’s a key part of a top-tier Browns secondary.
   • Availability: Picked one slot after No. 25, making him a realistic option for the Rams if they'd kept that pick.
2. Elijah Molden (Tennessee Titans, No. 100 overall, Round 3)
   
   Accolades: No Pro Bowls or All-Pros
   • PFF Grades: 74.2 career average, 77.8 in 2024 with Chargers
   • Stats (2021-24): 4 INTs, 11 PBUs, primarily a slot CB/safety hybrid
   • Impact: Molden has been a versatile nickel defender, starting 22 of 56 games. Less impactful as a pure CB.
   • Availability: Available at No. 25 and No. 130.

Top CBs Available at or After No. 130 (4th Round) in 2021

1. Deommodore Lenoir (San Francisco 49ers, No. 172 overall, Round 5)
   • Accolades: No Pro Bowls or All-Pros
   • PFF Grades: 78.6 career average, 82.1 in 2024
   • Stats (2021-24): 5 INTs, 21 PBUs, 71.2 passer rating allowed
   • Impact: Lenoir has become a reliable starter for the 49ers, playing 88% of snaps in 2024. Strong slot and outside coverage skills.
   • Availability: Available at No. 130.

How about other players available in those slots those years--that the Rams could've picked if they hadn't traded for Ramsey.

The Jaguars traded Jalen Ramsey to the Rams on October 15, 2019, receiving:

• 2020 first-round pick (No. 20 overall)
  • Player selected by the Jaguars: K’Lavon Chaisson (EDGE, LSU)
  • Chaisson has five sacks in his career=huge miss for Jags
• 2021 first-round pick (No. 25 overall)
  • Player selected by the Jaguars: Travis Etienne (RB, Clemson)
  • Rushed for 1,000 back to back=solid pick
• 2021 fourth-round pick (No. 130 overall)
  • Player selected by the Jaguars: Jordan Smith (EDGE, UAB)
  • Been on the Practice Squad more than once=total wasted pick

Pro Bowlers Available (Picked at or After No. 20 in 2020)
The following players, drafted at or after No. 20 in the 2020 NFL Draft, have earned at least one Pro Bowl selection:

1. Justin Jefferson (WR, Minnesota Vikings, No. 22 overall)
   • Pro Bowls: 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
   • Notes: Selected by the Vikings two picks after Chaisson, Jefferson has become one of the NFL’s premier wide receivers, with over 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first four seasons.
2. Brandon Aiyuk (WR, San Francisco 49ers, No. 25 overall)
   • Pro Bowls: 2023
   • Notes: Drafted by the 49ers, Aiyuk has developed into a key offensive weapon, earning second-team All-Pro honors in 2023.
3. Tee Higgins (WR, Cincinnati Bengals, No. 33 overall, Round 2)
   • Pro Bowls: None, but often considered a high-impact player; included for context but does not qualify as a Pro Bowler.
   • Notes: While Higgins has been a consistent performer, he has not yet made a Pro Bowl, so he’s not counted here.
4. Michael Pittman Jr. (WR, Indianapolis Colts, No. 34 overall, Round 2)
   • Pro Bowls: 2024
   • Notes: Pittman earned his first Pro Bowl selection in 2024, with over 1,000 receiving yards in multiple seasons.
5. Jonathan Taylor (RB, Indianapolis Colts, No. 41 overall, Round 2)
   • Pro Bowls: 2021
   • Notes: Taylor led the NFL in rushing yards (1,811) and touchdowns (18) in 2021, earning first-team All-Pro honors.
6. Antoine Winfield Jr. (S, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, No. 45 overall, Round 2)
   • Pro Bowls: 2021, 2023
   • Notes: A standout safety, Winfield has been a cornerstone of Tampa Bay’s defense, earning first-team All-Pro in 2023.

Pro Bowlers Available (Picked at or After No. 25 in 2021)
The following players, drafted at or after No. 25 in the 2021 NFL Draft, have earned at least one Pro Bowl selection:

1. Travis Etienne (RB, Jacksonville Jaguars, No. 25 overall)
   • Pro Bowls: 2024
   • Notes: As the Jaguars’ selection, Etienne is included. He missed his rookie season due to injury but has since become a reliable dual-threat back.
2. Creed Humphrey (C, Kansas City Chiefs, No. 63 overall, Round 2)
   • Pro Bowls: 2022, 2023, 2024
   • Notes: Humphrey has emerged as one of the NFL’s top centers, earning consistent Pro Bowl nods and anchoring Kansas City’s offensive line.

Pro Bowlers Available (Picked at or After No. 130 in 2021)
The following players, drafted at or after No. 130 in the 2021 NFL Draft, have earned at least one Pro Bowl selection:

1. Trey Smith (G, Kansas City Chiefs, No. 226 overall, Round 6)
   • Pro Bowls: 2024
   • Smith was a sixth-round gem for the Chiefs, starting on their offensive line and earning a Pro Bowl nod in 2024.

In those two years, the Rams did draft RB and WR: Cam Akers and Tutu Atwell. As you can see, if they hadn't traded for Ramsey, they could've drafted far better RB and WR in those slots.

So, I think the Rams have learned their lesson: if you make good draft picks, you're better off keeping high picks.

Rams CB Emmanuel Forbes feeling more comfortable as team starts OTAs​

The Rams claimed the former first-round draft pick off waivers late last season, and he is finding his footing after spending an offseason in the team’s system​

WOODLAND HILLS — Emmanuel Forbes was engaged with his man along the left sideline when the receiver cut out. The Rams cornerback made a fluid turn to follow his mark, then extended up with his 6-foot frame to intercept the ball.

It was just the first 11-on-11 action of the offseason as the Rams began OTAs on Wednesday. But it was a sign of Forbes finding his footing in the team’s defense after joining the Rams in December.

“I got here late in the season so it’s kind of hard to learn the ins and outs of the defense,” Forbes said. “So since I had a whole offseason here, been here most of the time and just learning the ins and outs of the defense, you know, I’m able to play faster and play smarter, honestly, and make plays on the ball.”

Forbes was a first-round selection by the Washington Commodes in 2023, but struggled to live up to that draft status in his time there. He didn’t have a consistent role as a rookie, sometimes not seeing the field at all for weeks at a time. That continued into 2024 before the Commodes ultimately released him.

The Rams claimed Forbes off waivers, but with such limited time to make the transition to his new team, he didn’t play on defense until Week 18, when the team was resting its starters.

“I was really impressed with the way that he came in,” head coach Sean McVay said. “His willingness to be coached, his openness to maybe some different techniques. And that’s really tough to do in the middle of the year, especially given the background with Washington. I thought he came in with a great demeanor and disposition.”

But the Rams liked what they saw against Seattle in Week 18, and that served as a good starting point for Forbes entering the offseason. He spent some time training in Arizona, but he also worked at the Rams’ facility with defensive backs coach Aubrey Pleasant and safeties coach Chris Beake on learning the team’s system.

For Forbes, learning the defense itself wasn’t as intensive as understanding the Rams’ techniques and vernacular.

“Technique is different on every team, and the technique that they want to be done on certain plays and certain situations, and just getting to know your coaches better and what they want to be done,” Forbes said.

“You’ve just seen the progression,” McVay said. “You see the ability. In some of the individual drills, the movements, the ability to get in and out of breaks and the length and the ball skills to be able to pick the ball off, those are big deals.”

Are the Jaguars making a mistake using Travis Hunter on both sides?

It seems to be a lot to ask for a rookie. He can only play so many snaps, so exactly what is gained by using him on both sides?

Travis Hunter won’t practice on both sides on same day during OTAs​

Jaguars head coach Liam Coen spoke to reporters on Tuesday and that provided a chance to check in on how the process of getting second overall pick Travis Hunter ready to play on both sides of the ball is going.

Hunter was working as a wide receiver on Tuesday and Coen said that the rookie is “about where we would expect” when it comes to learning the team’s scheme. Hunter did not see any time at cornerback during the session, which is by design and Coen said that switching sides from day to day is something that will continue for the rest of the offseason program.

“We won’t put him in that situation to have him do that, although I’m sure he’d probably want to,” Coen said, via the team’s website. “He still meets defensively every day that he’s on offense, so he’s getting the mental part of it and is able to catch up on some of the communication, some of the corrections off the film from the defensive side of the ball. He’s getting a lot of the mental and it would probably be unfair to put him out on the grass and do both and ask him to go do that and see success.”

The plans don’t seem like they’ll change much in training camp either. Coen said that in-season practices will be a different story for Hunter because of how they’re structured, but “from the teaching and the initial stages of it, don’t really see that being something we’ll do anytime soon.”

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This video popped up in my news channel. Seems to be a cheep knockoff.
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Rams 2nd-year defender highlighted as LA's most underappreciated player​

Kamren Kinchens has already proved he can be one of the top playmaking safeties in the NFL​

Ali Jawad
Rams Wire

Kamren Kinchens had to wait a while to hear his name called during the 2024 NFL Draft. By the time he was selected, 98 players had already come off the board. His stock had slipped, not because of production or character, but because of a stopwatch. A 4.65 40-yard dash at the combine knocked the Miami safety down draft boards, and by the end of Round 3, the Los Angeles Rams were happy to take the gamble.
It didn’t take long for that bet to pay off.
NFL.com's Gennaro Filice recently named Kinchens as the Rams’ most underappreciated player heading into the 2025 season, a nod to a debut campaign that flew under the national radar but didn’t go unnoticed by opposing quarterbacks. It’s the kind of recognition that suggests bigger things might be on the way.

Blame the Underwear Olympics. Shoddy athletic testing at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine depressed the safety’s draft stock, allowing the Rams to scoop him up with the penultimate pick of Round 3. But the 4.65 40-yard dash didn’t prevent the rookie from picking off four passes -- and taking one 103 yards to the house. An instinctive ballhawk who grabbed 11 interceptions in his final two collegiate campaigns at Miami, Kinchens is further proof that play speed transfers quite nicely to the NFL. After all, Ed Reed ran a 4.57 40 in Indy, and he might be the greatest center fielder in league history.

Click to expand...

It was an offseason that saw Los Angeles reload on both sides of the ball and Kinchens quietly emerged as one of the most impactful rookies on the roster last year. He finished the 2024 season with 57 tackles, four interceptions, six pass deflections, one forced fumble, one recovery, and a highlight-reel 103-yard pick-six that changed the course of a midseason win.


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Instincts. Timing. Ball skills. The traits that made him a college standout translated immediately, even if the pre-draft narrative suggested otherwise. His speed on tape never matched his time in Indy, and in today’s NFL where anticipation and positioning matter more than straight-line speed, Kinchens fits right in.
Kinchens may not have turned heads under the lights of the combine, but put him in pads on Sundays and the story changes. The Rams found themselves a steal, and he’s just getting started.

Gonna see it a plenty!!!

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