The Los Angeles Rams practiced for the third day in a row Monday, but this session was different than the previous two. This time, they put on the pads … sort of.
They were in shells, or wearing shoulder pads but no leg pads. It increases the physicality of practice a bit, though not to the level of a fully-padded practice.
Here are four takeaways from the on-field action Monday afternoon.
Rams aren’t going to push veterans too hard
Sean McVay held out several veterans for Monday’s practice, including Andrew Whitworth and Aaron Donald, according to team reporter Myles Simmons. After working two days in a row, the Rams opted to give the experienced players a day off, considering how infrequently the team will practice three days in a row during the season.
“Typically what we’ll do is those third days kind of typically represent a reload type day,” McVay said after practice. “So, for those veterans, those guys that have accumulated a lot of experience – usually around that seven-year plus experience, or Aaron is kind of in that category as well – but we’ve got a couple guys that we want to be smart with.”
Todd Gurley was on the field Monday after being held out of Sunday’s practice, following the every-other-day plan.
Joseph Noteboom is the swing tackle
With Whitworth out, Noteboom stepped up at left tackle. It was unclear exactly who would be called upon as the backup tackle, but the Rams feel most confident in the second-year player. That does cause a ripple effect, however, because Noteboom is currently penciled in as the starting left guard.
So if Whitworth or Rob Havenstein were to go down, the Rams would need to replace Noteboom at left guard, too. Jamil Demby got the nod at that spot Monday, which suggests he’s ahead of Bobby Evans and David Edwards.
The two rookies worked with the second-team offense at each tackle spot.
Dante Fowler Jr. is off to a good start
Fowler is in a contract year once again, earning $14 million for the 2019 season alone. If he wants long-term security from the Rams, he’ll need to put together a strong campaign this year. Fortunately, he’s off to a good start.
The young pass rusher has worked hard this offseason and stayed after practice Sunday to get extra reps in against Havenstein.
On Monday, Simmons reported that Fowler made a few really good plays in 11-on-11 drills, making a would-be tackle for loss on JoJo Natson and also hitting Darrell Henderson. Additionally, he picked off a pass against the second-team offense.
The Rams also posted a short video on their Instagram story showing Fowler burst off the line in an individual drill, showing tight bend around the edge.
Josh Reynolds isn’t going anywhere
Cooper Kupp may be back, but Reynolds isn’t going to go to the bench quietly. Once again the No. 4 receiver, Reynolds will have to earn reps on offense. According to Simmons, he stood out in practice Monday with a few nice grabs.
On an intermediate route over the middle, Reynolds stretched up to make the catch, reeling in what initially looked like it could be an incompletion.
Reynolds also hauled in a deep pass after getting behind the defense.
The Rams don’t have another receiver with his height or size, so if he can use that to his advantage in order to stand out from the pack, he could see the field in more red zone situations.
