Winners and losers from the first week of Rams training camp

With the arrival of training camp, competition is the order of the day. Competition brings the ordering of the LA Rams roster, the establishment and refinement of the Rams Depth Chart, and how the limited number of reps can be dolled out to so many players. It's the law of the jungle, a meritocracy, the rule of law of the Necromancers (see The Chronicles of Riddick), a futuristic society whose governing rule is "You keep what you kill."

In the NFL, playing better than other players translates into securing a better role on the depth chart. But there are more ways to win in this 2024 LA Rams Training Camp. What about those players who have no direct competition? Of course they can. We all hold expectations of players, whether forged from their performance in 2023, or the information we were able to glean about them from the offseason. However we got there, we set the players into our own hierarchy.

Now, in training camp, they either meet, fall short of, or exceed those expectations.

But there are other ways to fall short at training camp as well. If this team finds excellent play out of all five running backs currently on the roster: Kyren Williams, Blake Corum, Boston Scott, Zach Evans, and Ronnie Rivers, but only has room for three running backs when the time arrives to trim the roster down to 53-players, two players worthy of a roster spot will not earn that spot. Those two slots will be bestowed to lesser quality players due to the need for their unique positional skills on the initial 53 man roster.

So there is more at stake in the early days of the Rams training camp that you may realize. This team is not only competing with 31 other NFL teams in the upcoming 2024 NFL season, but the players are competing daily to earn and maintain their roles and spots on the team.

Week 1 of the Rams training camp is in the books. So who is losing ground, and who is gaining ground, in the heated competition so far?

Losers

Competition defines the hierarchy of winners and losers. And so, we use the term loosely here. As some players pull ahead in competition, others remain stationary, lag behind, or simply fail to keep pace. Those players who are falling behind in the competition are named in the losers category. And they are:

TE Tyler Higbee

Due to a devastating injury in the 2024 NFL Playoffs, veteran tight end Tyler Higbee is unable to participate at training camp yet, and may not be able to compete until October 2024. Of course, when he does heal up, theis 6-foot-6 255-pound tight end will not be lacking in terms of knowing what to do. But as he approaches 32 years of age and coming off a serious ACL injury, how well will his body follow suit?

Until now, Higbee's ability to block like an offensive lineman, catch passes in traffic, and deliver whatever the coaches have asked from him has cemented his lock as the starting tight end of the team. But knowing that 2024 would mean no Higbee, the team has a heated competition going on right now between second year TE Davis Allen and newly signed veteran TE Colby Parkinson. The competition is so good that either appears to be a solid substitute for Tyler Higbee when the season opens.

How much of a role will Higbee have when healthy again? That remains to be seen.

CB Derion Kendrick

It was no surprise when the LA Rams addressed the cornerback position in the offseason, signing two veterans who presumptively would start this season, and push Derion Kendrick into a rotational role at best. But Kendrick is young, and he hoped to earn a significant role in the Rams secondary in 2024 by showing up improved in all aspects of the game. It's not unheard of, as young players continue to progress, improve, and develop throughout their early years in the NFL.

Kendrick will not get that chance this year. His season ended after a training camp collision with a receiver resulted in a torn ACL injury. Even at this early juncture, that all but ends his 2024 NFL season before it began. And for Derion Kendrick, the timing could not have been worse.

Now, rather than compete for defensive snaps, he is put on ice for this season and will come back with no guarantees that a roster spot or role will be waiting for him. The team has already signed former Detroit Lions cornerback Jerry Jacobs to take over for Kendrick in 2024. I look for Jacobs to deliver in 2024. That, in turn, will complicate Kendrick's chances in 2025.

Losers (continued)

CB Darious Williams

While I wouldn't say that veteran defensive back Darious Williams is in danger of losing his presumed starting role with the Rams in the newly reconstructed secondary, there is undoubtedly several snafus that will occur due to the fact that Williams injured his hamstring last week, and is no longer actively participating in practices and drills in training camp.

As of right now, his status has been described as week to week.

The unfortunate result of Williams injury in the havoc that it plays with the communication and coordination of pass coverage. Next to the team's offensive line, the secondary is critically dependent upon an entire array of players knowing and chatting about who takes which receiver. With Williams sidelined, that coordination and chemistry will still occur, but without him sharing the experience.

Williams was added to this secondary for more than what he does individually. He is the seasoned veteran who will lead by example, while holding his teammates accountable. That is a tough task from the sidelines. Williams will suit up in term for Week 1. The question is, how prepared will this secondary be in those early games on the schedule?

TE Hunter Long

Saying that veteran tight end Hunter Long did not live up to expectations in his first season with the Rams is a huge understatement. Long is a 6-foot-5, 253-pound tight end who excels at blocking, and who reportedly has better-than-you-know pass catching abilitis. But appearing in just four games in 2023, and starting once, he has yet to be targeted with a pass. In retrospect, he played just 55 offensive snaps last season.

The reason for such a modest workload? He was oft-injured. That's a problem. A player whose durability gives them just 55 plays in a full season is not going to be much of a contributor. And Hunter Long knows that. Soon to turn 26 years old, he has his back against the wall. It's do-or-die time in terms of impressing the Rams coaching staff and earning a future role. Or, even a present day role, for that matter.

That's going to be awfully difficult.

Both TE Davis Allen and TE Colby Parkinson are putting on a show at training camp so far. Individually, they are fighting for the vacated starting role when this season begins. But combined they are lapping Hunter Long in terms of the team's depth chart. With his injury-riddled season already in the history books, Long needs a huge training camp this year.

I don't see it happening. In fact, the progress of Allen and Parkinson has pushed Hunter Long onto the roster bubble already.

Winners

After sharing the news about players who are falling behind in training camp due to injuries or outstanding play of teammates, I wanted to end this article with a more positive gaze into the future. And in the interest of more glowing reviews, here are some players who are clearly making positive impressions on coaches, teammates, and fans so far.

WR Xavier Smith

I have to admit that I never would have expected to name second year wide receiver Xavier Smith on this list, but live and learn I suppose. Smith is a second-year undrafted receiver who was signed by the Rams after the 2023 NFL Draft, and who spent last season on the team's practice squad. He played for Florida A&M, stands 5-foot-9 and weighs 173 pounds. In many ways, he resembles the style of teammate Tutu Atwell.

While he did not get much press last season, he was cited with some high praise before the draft. But Smith (referred to as Xavier Woods by The Athletic's Jourdan Rodrigue) has been making some great receptions so far thrown by backup QB Jimmy Garoppolo. And reports are that he is getting special teams work as well

That is excellent news, as Smith had extensive experience in returning both kickoffs and punts in college.

In a footrace, Xavier Smith put up a 4.44-second 40-yard-dash time, while Tutu Atwell put up a 4.39-second 40-yard-dash time. But Smith is entering his second season, and is clearly showing up in positive reports so far. Keep him on your radar.

S Kamren Curl

I probably should not have included free agent veteran safety Kamren Curl in this report, because there has been so much written about him already, this report may have the feel of 'water is wet,' to you. If so, I apologize in advance. But he is one player that is almost impossible to stay calm about. He is a big hitter in the secondary, and he has the natural flow and instincts to wreak havoc on opposing teams' passing game.

Standing 6-foot-2 and weighing 205 pounds, Curl is an ominous profile in this secondary. Durable, intelligent, capable, and fearless, he moves sideline to sideline on the football field like a fish swims through water. Ever vigilant, he keeps his eyes focused on one spot and everywhere simultaneously. As soon as he decipher where the football is going, he strikes like lightning to get there to make a play.

He is a big volume producer. He put up 115 tackles, broke up five passes, had three tackles for a loss, got one quarterback sack, three quarterback hits, forced a fumble and recovered a fumble. He allowed 32 of 46 passes thrown his way to find their mark, and he surrendered two touchdowns in 2023. Best of all, he continues to improve each season.

Winners (continued)

DT Braden Fiske

After the 2024 NFL Draft, the conversations that dominated the LA Rams 2024 Draft class refused to cover anything more than how much the team gave up to select Florida State Seminoles defensive tackle Braden Fiske. But in my opinion, the greater evil would have been not trading up for Fiske, How many opportunities does an NFL team get in any NFL Draft to select multiple star rookie prospects from the same dominating college defense?

If this pans out for the LA Rams in 2024, you can bet it will be a pattern that happens going forward more frequently.

The pressure in on Braden Fiske. Not only because the Rams traded significant value to select him, but also due to the fact that he is the bookend piece to OLB Jared Verse. While Verse was selected in Round 1, he has projected to come off the board as early as a Top 10 selection. Fiske, on the other hand, came off the board in Round 2, where he was projected. But the Rams viewed his pairing with his Seminoles teammate as holding Round 1 value.

So far, Fiske is beating even those lofty expectations. Exhibiting versatility, agility, speed, power, and chaortic unpredictability, Fiske has been laying the lumber already. He is a possessed soul, a singularly focused young man who is determined not to betray the trust given to him by the Rams football team.

Even in college, Fiske and Verse were workaholics who arrived early and stayed late. Now, with the LA Rams football team, Fiske has millions of reasons (money talks) to do so, and he is delivering. Fans will likely not see Fiske compete until opening day against the Detroit Lions. But it will be worth the wait.

P Ethan Evans

There is a great variety of discussions happening among NFL coaches and afficionados about the new NFL kickoff rules and how some teams may seek to modify their strategy. In fact, the new rules place a great deal of pressure on the kicker, who is the last chance defender to stop a huge return. Some teams have discussed placing a non-kicker into that role.

Well, here is a news flash. The Rams have already done so. Kickoff duties are handled by the team's 6-foot-3 250-pound punter, Ethan Evans. And the 23 year old punter is not just big, but he is incredibly strong too. He has bull frog legs, as shown in the short video snippet below:

Evans makes this list because, as good as he was in 2023, he is even better in 2024. One of the challenges to his punts last season was the fact that he punted incredibly far, but due to less hang time, opposing teams were able to negate some of those long booming kicks with great returns. That could be fixed with more hang time.

Which is what Evans is delivering in training camp this season.

There is a lot of pressure on Ethan Evans this season. Far more than other NFL punters. Kickoffs are the talk of the NFL this season, and that falls squarely on the shoulders of the Rams punter/kickoff guy. Evans has been handling the responsibility and uncertainty admirably so far.

Booming punts with high arcs are music to my ears.

Thanks for reading.