4 Rams who can play their way into larger roles for HC Sean McVay after Week 12

The momentum of LA Rams games often falls to the performance of individual players. While the Rams have won four of their last five games after their Week 6 BYE, success has not fallen out of the sky like rain. Gathering experience and playing time has helped rookie and young players, aiding in their development. So it makes sense for players to develop over the season.

Some players, unfortunately, have not developed yet. Whether they were not given the opportunity, came to the team too late, have been too inconsistent, or simply haven't lived up to their expectations, they have witnessed their roles either not take off or diminish over time.

But with seven games remaining on the Rams' schedule, and with one of the hottest teams in the NFL coming to SoFi Stadium, it's now or never for players who want to be entrusted to be on the football field for key plays as the team advances through the rest of the season. The LA Rams are not 'there' just yet. This team still needs to learn how to play consistent football. This team struggles with making every tackle and breaking up every pass possible. But the Rams are learning. And they are winning.

Many fans invest in the players on the Rams roster as though a 17-game season was a series of 17 sprints. What I mean is that if a player is not on the football field, or has a bad game, fan support can evaporate and even turn hostile. There was no shortage of fan comments to cut rookie kicker Joshua Karty after he missed a chip shot field goal in Week 11. But the miss did not impact the outcome of the game. The Rams won and did so in a way that led all to believe that the offense had woken from its slumber.

Still, Karty is a rookie. And NFL players are not sharp and proficient on every play. A flipped coin will ultimately come up heads 50 percent of the time. But if flipped just three times, it could come up tails all three times. Is the coin broken? Should you throw the coin away because it doesn't adhere to the 50/50 rule of probability with every two flips?

The 17 game NFL season is not a sprint. It's a marathon. And right now, here are four players who I believe are under-the-radar right now, but who could play huge positive roles for the Rams in Week 12.

LB Omar Speights

The LA Rams defense faces one of the most dominant NFL rushing offenses in Week 12. The Philadelphia Eagles are 8-2, are coming to SoFi Stadium riding a wave of a six-game winning streak, and are even just one road win away from having a winning season on the road. The Rams are conversely just 3-2 at home. And now, the team faces an opponent that leads the league in rushing yards per game, entering with a staggering 181.3 yards per game average. That is nearly double that of the Rams 95.4 yards per game average.

So how can this team stop the juggernaut?

After ILB Troy Reeder fell to injury, Speights was tapped to take over. And so far, he has shown enough promise to expect he will grow into the starting role this season. And so far, despite the late start and the hesitancy of the coaching staff to afford him playing time, has been one of the defense's top performers. Per Pro Football Focus, Speights has an overall grade of 78.6. Contrast that to the PFF 57.9 grade of his predecessor, Troy Reeder. You could also contrast his grade to that of teammate, Christian Rozeboom, who scored 55.7 in 2024.

The most notable quality of Speights is his instant decision of when and where to make the play, his willingness to meet the ball carrier in the hole, and his physical presence that shows no tepidation or hesitation. The Rams are 3-2 since installing LSU undrafted rookie Omar Speignts as the new starting inside linebacker.

But Week 12 will be his ultimate test. He will face Philadelphia Eagles RB Saquon Barkley, and must shed one of the best offensive lines to get to him. Speights knows what's at stake this week. Now, he just has to go out and prove to the Rams and to the entire NFL that he can do his job.

DB Ahkello Witherspoon

It's disappointing to say the least for fans (like myself) that truly believed that the Rams secondary would be one of the team's strengths in 2024. So far, that has not exactly panned out. Let's recap:

The Rams initially signed veteran cornerbacks Darious Williams and Tre'Davious White, and added veteran safety Kamren Curl in the offseason. The front office rounded out the off-season additions by drafting Miami rookie safety Kamren Kinchens. But early in training camp, the team lost veteran cornerback Darion Kendrick for the season, and lost Darious Williams for several months due to a persistent hamstring injury.

That prompted the team to reach out to re-sign former starting cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon to the team. Once Witherspoon was aboard, the team traded veteran DB Tre'Davious White to the Baltimore Ravens for next to nothing. But in the aftermath, are the Rams any better off at the cornerback position? Until now, you could make the argument that the team is no better off. But hold that thought.

Witherspoon was a starter in Week 5 (a loss to the Green Bay Packers) and Week 9 (a win over the Seattle Seahawks). When not starting, he has gradually been folded into the secondary rotation. In Week 11, he played 44 defensive snaps. Even as his on-field production is below his career average, he is earning the trust of the coaching staff.

Witherspoon faced the Eagles in 2023, While the Rams lost the game 23-14, he started and played 70 defensive snaps. He undoubtedly is as familiar with the Eagles' offense as anyone on the Rams defense.

Witherspoon stands 6-foot-2, an ideal size to match up against Eagles WR A.J. Brown (6-foot-1) or TE Dallas Goedert (6-foot-5). With the front seven facing the supercharged rushing attack, the Rams secondary cannot count on the pass rush to force bad throws. Ahkello Witherspoon knows how to play good pass coverage. He puts that knowledge to the test in Week 12.

TE Colby Parkinson

When the front office signed veteran tight end Colby Parkinson to a multi-year contract, the team expected Parkinson to step into a starting tight end role until veteran TE Tyler Higbee returned from injury. But the team was also trying to upgrade the offense's Red Zone proficiency. While the plan appeared to be sound on paper, the application of Parkinson in this offense has been rather inconsistent.

After 10 games, Parkinson has hauled in 24 of 37 passes for 233 yards and one touchdown. While that has resulted in a mere 64.9 percent completion rate, Parkinson has one thing trending in a positive direction. His only target in the past three games went for a 19-yard touchdown.

When the LA Rams faced the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 2 of the 2020 NFL season, veteran TE Tyler Higbee caught all five passes thrown his way. Three of those passes resulted in a touchdown. Could a tight end be just as effective in 2024? Perhaps, and here's why?

Any NFL defensive coordinator facing the LA Rams has to prioritize the offense in terms of scoring ability as follows:

1. RB Kyren Williams
2. WR Cooper Kupp
3. WR Puka Nacua
4. WR Demarcus Robinson
5. TE Colby Parkinson

As such, the defense will dedicate their game plan to stop the Rams key contributors in a similar order. But after the top three weapons, the level of planning to neutralize the remaining weapons is dependent upon the offensive formation, and the down/distance scenario. Knowing this, the Rams would throw a wrench into the gears if they featured Parkinson in the game plan for Week 12. After three games of almost no use, it would be a stroke of genius to do so

Parkinson can catch the football. In Week 5 against the Green Bay Packers, he was targeted 13 times. While I don't expect him to be targeted that frequently in Week 12, I could see the Rams throwing six or more passes his way. If he catches at least one touchdown pass, he could be back to the featured tight end.

K Joshua Karty

Rookie kicker Joshua Karty missed a chip shot field goal in Week 11, his only field go attempt in the game. It was that miss that ultimately persuaded the Rams to punt the ball to the New England Patriots. But a quarterback sack and an interception later, the Rams ran out the clock for the win. So, conceivably, the missed field goal led to the Rams defensive heroics.

Karty is a rookie placekicker in the NFL. As we had pointed out in an earlier article, rookie kickers or undeniably inconsistent in their first season. The main reason for this is the fact that they are playing in new stadiums and facing new conditions for the first time. But it also comes down to the that this is a new team, coaching staff, city, and level of play.

How have other Rams kickers performed in their rookie season? We assembled several examples, including 49ers rookie kicker Jake Moody and the 2024 performance of Ravens veteran kicker Justin Tucker. Here is what we'd found:

• K Matt Gay - FGM 27 of 35 (77.1%) | Xpt 43 of 48 (89.6%)
• K Greg Zuerlein - FGM 23 of 32 (74.2%) | Xpt 26 of 26 (100%)
• K Joshua Karty - FGM 16 of 20 (80%) | Xpt 19 of 21 (90.5%)
• 49ers K Jake Moody - FGM 21 of 25 (84%) | Xpt 60 of 61 (98.4%)
• 2024 Ravens K Justin Tucker - FGM 16 of 22 (72.7%) | Xpt 38 of 39 (92.9%)

Karty may not be leading the NFL in 2024, but if you expected him to do so, the joke is on you. Karty is on track to be exactly what he is: A rookie kicker with a bright and productive NFL career ahead of him. While he did not compete his lone field goal attempt, he did kick five of six attempts just one week earlier. In fact, he would have kicked all six of six field goal attempts, if not for an untimely false start.

Karty is back at SoFi Stadium, a football field that he knows quite well. And it's not going out on a limb to expect the Rams could be in a one-possession game against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 12. In fact, Karty could kick a buzzer-beater field goal to win the gam. That is the life of an NFL field goal kicker. If you miss one, you are hot garbage. If you make one, you are pure gold.

I look for Karty to reclaim his Midas Touch in Week 12.

As always, thanks for reading.

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