The Los Angeles Rams are almost certainly going to be the youngest and least experienced team in the NFL this season. More than a third of their current roster is made up of rookies, 14 of which were drafted this offseason.
As concerning as their lack of experience can be heading into the 2023 season, there’s also a benefit to it: energy. Sean McVay has talked about it, Matthew Stafford has mentioned it and so has Raheem Morris.
There’s a new level of energy that the Rams are bringing to practice, which Andrew Whitworth couldn’t help but notice when he was in attendance at training camp this summer. He said it sounds like a high school practice with how loud and energetic this team is, led by an outgoing defensive back group that erupts every time a pass is batted down.
“At times it’s fun because going to their first couple of practices, it sounds like a high school practice, like how loud they are,” Whitworth said on the “Rich Eisen Show” this week. “Every time somebody makes a play, the entire DB group – all a bunch of youngsters – are jumping all over the field. You’d think they just won a game. But if they break up a pass for Cooper Kupp or they knock down a Matthew Stafford long pass down the sideline to Tutu (Atwell) or Van Jefferson, it’s like they throw a party. And so there’s this infectious energy to being that young that’s also cool for a team that’s in a position where last year was bad days at work, right? I mean, it was a tough, tough year for them. You get down on yourself, you get down on your belief. But I think to have some of that young energy is a positive for them right now.”
How much should #RamsHouse be concerned about Cooper Kupp's injury? Will Matthew Stafford return to form? Can they overcome the youth movement?@AndrewWhitworth gave us a full report from his time at Rams Camp:#NFL #NFLPreseason @NFLonPrime pic.twitter.com/LtAjboGNCS
— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) August 8, 2023
Toward the end of Whitworth’s time with the Rams, he was on a team that featured several established veterans and stars. Jalen Ramsey, Von Miller, Odell Beckham Jr., Leonard Floyd, Eric Weddle. The list goes on. But the current look of the Rams’ roster is vastly different with the injection of youth they’ve had.
Whether that translates to wins remains to be seen, but the Rams are going to bring the energy every single day, in practice and on game days. That’s something fans should be excited to see.
