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Rams Expected To Shut Down Aaron Donald

December 23rd, 2022 at 12:13pm CST by Sam Robinson

Never missing a game due to injury during his first eight NFL seasons, Aaron Donald is almost certain to miss six during this campaign. The Rams are likely to shut down the all-time great, who is battling a high ankle sprain.

Sean McVay ruled out Donald for the team’s Christmas Day game against the Broncos and said it is unlikely the seven-time All-Pro suits up again this season. Donald will join Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp among the high-profile Rams likely to be shelved for the rest of the season.

[RELATED: Stafford Does Not Intend To Retire]

Donald did make the Pro Bowl — er, the set of activities that now comprise that event — this week, making him 9-for-9 in such achievements. Only eight other players in NFL history — Hall of Famers Jim Brown, Franco Harris, Merlin Olsen, Mel Renfro, Barry Sanders, Lawrence Taylor, Derrick Thomas and future Hall of Famer Joe Thomas — have accomplished that feat. But this will still end as a disappointing season for Donald, who has two years remaining on his landmark extension.

This will wrap Donald’s age-31 season with just five sacks — his career-low tally by four — and 11 QB hits, which is also a career-low total. The Rams bet a lot on Donald, Stafford and Kupp this offseason, signing them to three- (Donald, Kupp) or four-year (Stafford) extensions. While the early returns were not good, it can be safely assumed on the Donald front the team will receive a reasonably good return on its investment. The Pitt alum is the best defensive player of his era and, as evidenced by Super Bowl LVI, displayed the capability at 30 of taking over games on the highest of stages.

The Rams gave Donald a three-year, $95MM deal in June, doing so after he repeatedly mentioned retirement. While that was partially aimed at getting the Rams to pay him in line with his monstrous production, after a few edge rushers had surpassed his 2018 deal, the nine-year veteran did send the team a retirement letter this offseason. He is tied to a $26MM cap number next season. The Rams guaranteed Donald’s 2023 money, but his 2024 cash is nonguaranteed. The sides will be able to huddle up after next season, placing more emphasis on the likes of Stafford and Kupp turning in healthy seasons to capitalize on the back end of Donald’s prime.

Latest On Rams QB Matthew Stafford’s Future

December 22nd, 2022 at 9:30pm CST by Ben Levine

Matthew Stafford‘s Super Bowl defense didn’t get off to the best start when the QB was sidelined for much of the summer with an elbow issue. The veteran struggled for much of the regular season before ultimately landing on injured reserve in early December. With Stafford set to turn 35 years old in February while collecting a growing list of ailments, there have been some pundits questioning whether he could hang up his cleats following the 2022 campaign.

During an appearance on his wife’s podcast earlier this week, Stafford rejected the notion that he’d retire following the season. When asked by Kelly Stafford if he was planning on calling it a career, the QB quickly responded “oh no,” per Larry Holder of The Athletic.

Both Stafford and the Rams have generally downplayed his injuries. The quarterback’s elbow injury wasn’t expected to impact his throwing ability, and while his numbers were generally down across the board, the organization generally attributed the struggles to Stafford’s inability to develop a rapport with his offense prior to the regular season.

Stafford’s latest injury, a spinal cord contusion, isn’t expected to be a long-term issue and should still allow the veteran to enjoy a “healthy offseason.” Stafford also missed a pair of games this season while in concussion protocol. The former first-overall pick has generally been healthy throughout his career; after missing 19 games through his first two seasons in the NFL, Stafford only missed eight games over the following 11 years, with all of those games missed coming during the 2019 campaign.

Stafford also has plenty of financial incentive to stick around the NFL. The QB inked a four-year, $160MM deal with the Rams back in March, with the organization giving their Super Bowl-winning signal-caller $135MM in guaranteed money.

Updated 2023 NFL Draft Order

December 21st, 2022 at 10:18am CST by Sam Robinson

Christmas Day’s Broncos-Rams matchup will pit two of the league’s most disappointing teams against one another, and the Seahawks and Lions will have a vested interest in this contest. The loser of this game will give one of the latter teams — via the Russell Wilson and Matthew Stafford trades — a better chance of landing a top-three pick in next year’s draft.

At 1-12-1, the Texans are cruising home. The Bears are on their heels, potentially set to become the team that selects the 2023 draft’s first non-quarterback. But eight four- or five-win teams reside behind these two, providing some intrigue for fanbases whose squads are not moving toward the playoffs.

The NFC South’s plunge toward becoming perhaps the worst division in NFL history carries draft stakes as well. The Falcons, Saints and Panthers each have five wins, and Atlanta, Carolina and Philadelphia (via the Saints’ pre-draft trade this year) would see those picks land in the top 10 as of now. The division-leading Buccaneers would see their draft slot check in no higher than 19th. Should one of Tampa Bay’s challengers vault the current first-place team in the standings, the Bucs would see their 2023 first-round slot rise considerably.

For non-playoff teams, the draft order will be determined by the inverted 2022 standings — plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule — with playoff squads being slotted by their postseason outcome and regular-season record. Here is how the draft order looks entering Week 16:

  1. Houston Texans: 1-12-1
  2. Chicago Bears: 3-11
  3. Detroit Lions (via Rams)
  4. Seattle Seahawks (via Broncos)
  5. Arizona Cardinals: 4-10
  6. Indianapolis Colts: 4-9-1
  7. Atlanta Falcons: 5-9
  8. Carolina Panthers: 5-9
  9. Philadelphia Eagles (via Saints)
  10. Las Vegas Raiders: 6-8
  11. Jacksonville Jaguars: 6-8
  12. Houston Texans (via Browns)
  13. Pittsburgh Steelers: 6-8
  14. Green Bay Packers: 6-8
  15. Seattle Seahawks: 7-7
  16. New England Patriots: 7-7
  17. New York Jets: 7-7
  18. Detroit Lions: 7-7
  19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 6-8
  20. Tennessee Titans: 7-7
  21. Washington Commanders: 7-6-1
  22. Los Angeles Chargers: 8-6
  23. New York Giants: 8-5-1
  24. Baltimore Ravens: 9-5
  25. Denver Broncos (via 49ers through Dolphins)
  26. Dallas Cowboys: 10-4
  27. Cincinnati Bengals: 10-4
  28. Kansas City Chiefs: 11-3
  29. Minnesota Vikings: 11-3
  30. Buffalo Bills: 11-3
  31. Philadelphia Eagles: 13-1

Next year’s draft will feature a 31-pick first round. The Dolphins’ penalty for the Tom Brady–Sean Payton tampering scandal cost them their 2023 first-round choice.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/19/22

December 19th, 2022 at 7:26pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s minor transactions from around the league:

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Rams

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/17/22

December 17th, 2022 at 5:41pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

  • Promoted: C Brock Hoffman

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

Rams To Waive OLB Terrell Lewis

December 15th, 2022 at 6:13pm CST by Ely Allen

The Rams are set to let go of a recent third-round draft pick as they are reportedly waiving outside linebacker Terrell Lewis, according to Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic. It’s a bit of a surprising move considering the team lacks much depth at outside linebacker.

Lewis was largely considered a risky steal when he was selected by Los Angeles in the third round. The Alabama-product rose up draft boards early in his collegiate career before a torn ACL sidelined him for the entire 2018 season. After appearing in 11 games in 2016 with little playing time as Terrell Hall, he legally changed his last name to Lewis going into his sophomore year. After tearing a ligament in the first game with “Lewis” on his jersey, he would miss the next ten games, returning for the regular season finale and a postseason run that would include an SEC Championship game and two College Football Playoff games. His first collegiate start would be in the Crimson Tide’s National Championship win over Georgia in overtime.

Between the two long-term injuries he suffered in college and only appearing in 26 games over four years, scouts were iffy on Lewis’s durability. But after a strong redshirt junior season that saw Lewis rack up 31 tackles, six sacks, and 11.5 tackles for loss, and saw him play in 11 of the team’s 13 games that year, Lewis had a strong opportunity in the NFL Draft. Evaluating entering the draft early with his injury history led Lewis to an easy decision and he became a Ram.

Unfortunately for both parties, Lewis’s professional career has been more of the same. He spent the first four weeks of his rookie season on the team’s non-football injury list and would miss five more games later in the year, including a playoff loss to the Packers. His second year with the Rams last season started off promising. After showing a healthy start to the year, Lewis earned his first start in the NFL and tallied a sack in three straight games. He followed that up with three straight starts before eventually, the injury bug struck again. After two games with diminishing playing time, Lewis would sit out the rest of the season, including a four-game playoff run that culminated in a Super Bowl win over the Bengals.

This year, once again, started off with promise. Lewis was a constant presence rotating into the Rams linebacking corps behind a usual starting lineup of Bobby Wagner, Ernest Jones, Leonard Floyd, and Justin Hollins. Lewis often split time with Hollins, eventually taking over his starting spot after Hollins was waived in late-November. But after only three starts, Lewis found himself on the injured list once again. Lewis injured his back in a loss to the Chiefs, suffering a disc bulge that limited his flexibility. He’s now missed the last two games and it appears that the Rams have seen enough.

With Lewis out, the Rams have not really gone the replacement route. They have begun to incorporate some linebacking reserves like rookie seventh-round pick Daniel Hardy, undrafted rookie Keir Thomas, and Christian Rozeboom, but, for the most part, the Rams have been playing far fewer four-linebacker sets, relying on their top-three linebackers, Wagner, Jones, and Floyd.

Lewis will head to waivers where he may be lucky enough to find his way to a team with the patience and depth at outside linebacker to weather any potential future absences. He still provides impressive measurables and pass rushing ability for any teams willing to stake a claim on the waiver wire.

NFC West Notes: Cards, Purdy, Rams, Hawks

December 15th, 2022 at 3:18pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Cardinals will be without their 10th-year GM going forward. Steve Keim stepped away from his post for the time being, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes this health-related matter has been on the radar for months (video link). Keim’s future with the Cardinals is “up in the air,” Rapoport adds. This news comes months after Keim agreed to an extension that runs through 2027. Both Keim and Kliff Kingsbury signed add-ons this offseason, though the latter has also run into some turbulence. With Keim stepping away, Kyler Murray going down with an ACL tear and Kingsbury on the hot seat, this has been one of the more disappointing seasons in recent Cardinals history.

Here is the latest from Arizona and the rest of the NFC West:

  • Brock Purdy was not throwing during the 49ers‘ Tuesday practice, but the new San Francisco starter is expected to play through his rib and oblique injuries against the Seahawks tonight, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Purdy stayed in Sunday’s game despite suffering those injuries. The 49ers, who have lost both Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo to major injuries this season, have journeyman Josh Johnson — recently signed off the Broncos’ practice squad — in place as their backup. Purdy and Johnson are the only two healthy QBs on San Francisco’s 53-man roster. Garoppolo remains on the active roster, for IR-management purposes, but is unlikely to return this season.
  • Shifting back to the Cardinals‘ quarterback situation, Murray is not slated to have surgery until after Christmas, Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com tweets. This is common for ACL surgeries, with the delay helping the swelling subside. Saquon Barkley ended up waiting over a month to have his ACL surgery in 2020 and was ready in time for the 2021 season. Week 1 will obviously be Murray’s goal, but given the through-2028 extension the Cardinals gave Murray this offseason, it would not surprise to see the organization play this cautionsly.
  • Thought to be leaving for Matt Rhule‘s Nebraska staff, Rams assistant Jake Peetz is staying in Los Angeles. Peetz turned down an offer to head to Lincoln, Albert Breer of SI.com tweets. Currently a Rams offensive assistant, Peetz was believed to have been offered the Nebraska quarterbacks coach job. He was the Panthers’ QBs coach under Rhule in 2020 and is a Nebraska native who played for the Cornhuskers during the 2000s. With Rams OC Liam Coen leaving to be Kentucky’s OC soon, it would not surprise to see Peetz rise on Sean McVay‘s staff.
  • The Rams will, however, lose their running backs coach — Ra’Shaad Samples — to the college ranks. Samples is heading to Arizona State to become the Pac-12 program’s wide receivers coach and passing-game coordinator, per Matt Zenitz of On3Sports. This season marked Samples’ first in the NFL. Impressively rising to the level of an NFL position coach at just 27, Samples will return to the college ranks. He was previously SMU’s running backs coach before heading to L.A. Samples also drew coordinator interest at the college level, Zenitz adds.
  • McVay’s staff has seen a run of connections to the college level in recent weeks. Prior to Arizona State and Georgia Tech hiring Kenny Dillingham and Brent Key, respectively, the schools were interested in Rams assistants. Tight ends coach Thomas Brown drew interest from the Sun Devils, according to ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler, who adds defensive line coach Eric Henderson was on the Yellowjackets’ radar. A Georgia Tech alum, Henderson, 39, has been with the Rams since 2019. Brown, 36, has been with the team since 2020, joining the Rams after 10 seasons as a college staffer. The latter has generated praise as a rising NFL assistant, so the Rams retaining him is critical.
  • The Rams used their high waiver position to claim former Titans defensive lineman Larrell Murchison, but Field Yates of ESPN.com notes the Seahawks and Lions also made claims (Twitter link). Murchison’s rookie contract runs through the 2023 season; the Rams will have a chance to evaluate the former fifth-round pick.

Rams OC Liam Coen To Return To Kentucky

December 15th, 2022 at 12:50pm CST by Sam Robinson

DECEMBER 15: Coen is on track to return to Kentucky, but it is not believed the Rams will need to find an interim OC to finish out the season. Coen has not yet finalized a deal with the SEC program, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com notes, and is expected to close out the season with the Rams. While Coen has spent four of the past five seasons with the Rams, he appears ticketed to leave the NFL level for a stretch.

DECEMBER 9: Although Sean McVay assistants have vaulted to HC positions at the NFL level, the sixth-year Rams coach will need to find a new right-hand man on offense for 2023. Liam Coen is heading back to Kentucky to take over the position he held in 2021.

Coen will be a one-and-done as a Rams OC, with Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com reporting he will move to the same position at Kentucky (Twitter link). A former Rams position coach, Coen had come back to Los Angeles to replace Kevin O’Connell this past offseason.

The Wildcats recently fired OC Rich Scangarello, who had previously served as an NFL quarterbacks coach and the Broncos’ OC. Scangarello trekked to the college level after six years as an NFL assistant, twice as a Kyle Shanahan staffer in San Francisco. Brian Griese replaced Scangarello as 49ers quarterbacks coach. Coen will now reassume the reins at Kentucky.

Coen, 37, is far from a college lifer. He spent three years on McVay’s staff before initially trekking to Kentucky in 2021. Coen’s first L.A.-to-Lexington move represented a responsibility bump, considering he was working under McVay and O’Connell as assistant quarterbacks coach in 2020. This latest jump may look like a lateral move, but Coen — like O’Connell, Matt LaFleur and Zac Taylor — did not call plays with the Rams. McVay has held that responsibility since arriving from Washington, becoming one of this era’s top offensive gurus.

McVay’s status helped O’Connell, LaFleur, Taylor and even the defensively oriented Brandon Staley to HC jobs, but Coen will take a different route. The Wildcats are coming off a regression offensively. Despite employing first-round quarterback prospect Will Levis, the 2022 Wildcats ranked 106th in scoring offense. Levis broke through under Coen in 2021, and Kentucky ranked 36th in scoring (32.3 points per game). Mark Stoops’ team went 10-3 that season; it is 7-5 this year.

The Rams also took a step back offensively this season, though injuries played a significant role in the defending Super Bowl champions cratering on this side of the ball. L.A.’s offense ranked in the top 10 in total offense and points last season; it sits 29th and 31st, respectively, after 13 games. The team has been without Matthew Stafford at points, and McVay admitted the recently extended quarterback’s offseason elbow injury affected him during the season. Cooper Kupp and much of the Rams’ offensive line have also missed extensive time. Coen did play a key role in helping Baker Mayfield somehow go from Tuesday waiver claim to leading a comeback victory over the Raiders on Thursday night. Still, the Rams are set to finish outside the top 11 in total offense for the first time in McVay’s tenure.

Coen will not have the opportunity to work with Levis for a second time. The high-profile prospect is passing on a potential extra year of college, via the NCAA’s decision to provide an additional eligibility year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, to enter the draft. Coen will also follow offensive assistant Jake Peetz in leaving the Rams for a college gig. Peetz, who joined McVay’s staff this year, is joining Matt Rhule at Nebraska.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/14/22

December 14th, 2022 at 4:35pm CST by Adam La Rose

Today’s practice squad moves:

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Houston Texans

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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