The first chunk of training camp is officially in the books as the Rams wrapped up their fourth consecutive day of practice. They now have two days off before the final three practices on Friday, Saturday and Sunday as they gear up for the preseason opener on Aug. 10.
Todd Gurley was once again held out of practice, the second time in four days. The Rams are managing his workload entering this season, giving him every other day off.
With no other injuries and absences to report, here are five takeaways from Day 4 of practice.
Aaron Donald stands above the rest in drills
When looking at the stats and film, it’s easy to see why Donald is regarded as arguably the best player in the NFL. But if you watch him in practice drills, you also get the sense that he’s simply on another level. Whether it’s his explosiveness or power when coming off the line and hitting pads, Donald stands out.
Look at how quickly and easily he goes through this drill, going from his three-point stance to scraping a cone to hitting a pad. And compare that to Sebastian Joseph-Day, the next player in line.
Donald also has quick and active feet in this run-defending drill. The pop on his punch is impressive, as well.
This is how a two-time Defensive Player of the Year practices. It’s just different.
Jared Goff picked apart starting defense
Not much has been made about Goff’s performance in camp thus far – it seems to be relatively quiet on that front – but he apparently had a nice performance on Day 4.
The starting offense has often gone up against the second-team defense, but on Tuesday, Goff faced the starters. And he did not disappoint. According to Vincent Bonsignore of The Athletic, he made three terrific throws into tight windows during one session.
Tight-window throws were a big area of improvement last year and if he can continue to get better in that department, it’ll elevate the play of his receivers and the offense as a whole.
Battle brewing at punt returner
After cutting Pharoh Cooper last season, the Rams are still seeking a consistent and reliable return man. JoJo Natson was the primary punt returner last year and he has a chance to maintain that position. The Rams haven’t settled on a player on punt returns and there are several guys in contention.
Austin Proehl and Natson appear to be the top choices, but according to team reporter Myles Simmons, undrafted rookies Nsimba Webster and Alex Bachman also returned punts Tuesday.
Natson has the most experience, but he also had some fumbling issues in the past. If Los Angeles wants to make a change, there are a few candidates to replace him.
Micah Kiser has yet to lock down starting job
Simmons reported that Hager worked with the first-team defense in the first drills of practice. He’s been rotating with Kiser at inside linebacker next to Cory Littleton, so Kiser has yet to earn a starting spot – as many expected him to.
The Rams aren’t going to hand the job to him and he’ll have to earn it, but Hager does seem to be in the running to replace Mark Barron. The preseason will be important for this position battle because it’s one of the few that has yet to be decided.
Tight end is a position to watch
The Rams have two very capable tight ends in Tyler Higbee and Gerald Everett and it doesn’t seem like either one has “won” the position battle just yet. The Rams are going to use both players regardless of who looks better in camp, and on Tuesday, they both made standout plays.
Higbee caught a pass in the back of the end zone for a touchdown, while Everett hauled in a pass on a crosser and turned all the way upfield for a big gain.
If either of these players can turn into a reliable and consistent receiver, the offense is going to be that much better.
