LOS ANGELES – Day 2 of Rams Training Camp presented by UNIFY Financial Credit Union was headlined by the play of wide receiver Puka Nacua, explosive runs by running backs, and consecutive strong practices by cornerbacks Cobie Durant and Emmanuel Forbes, among other items.
Senior staff writer Stu Jackson spent the evening watching the defense, while staff writer Wyatt Miller watched the offense. Notes on each unit below.
Offense
1) Davante Adams, Tyler Higbee and Rob Havenstein get day off. Head coach Sean McVay explained that the second day of each training camp block will serve as a veteran rest day. That will allow them to see the field together as much as possible throughout the rest of camp. They were still on the field coaching up their teammates, but didn't participate in practice.
2) Puka Nacua steals the show. Jared Verse said it best: "Puka's a psychopath." Nacua fearlessly grabbed a flurry of passes over the middle on Thursday and was the most targeted receiver of the afternoon. He leapt to corral a pass from Jimmy Garoppolo over the middle and then ended the day with a falling touchdown grab between defenders, after which his teammates came to pat him on the helmet.
3) Terrance Ferguson displays strong hands. Stetson Bennett targeted Ferguson often. He caught everything that was thrown his way, whether it was on his body or above his head, before turning upfield.
4) Running backs break some big rushes. Both Kyren Williams and Blake Corum found holes in the defense for chunk gains on Thursday. Corum made some quick cuts on a carry up the middle and turned it into a house call, while Williams exploded through the first level untouched for a big gain into the secondary.
5) Bennett shows flashes again. Whether it was an early strike to tight end Davis Allen on a seam route or a scramble for a touchdown in red zone drills, Bennett made his presence felt on Thursday. His pocket presence was noticeable and he fit the ball into some tight windows throughout the day, including on an early completion to Drake Stoops, a completion that Bennett celebrated with a little jig.
Defense
6) Play of the day went to safety Tanner Ingle. During team drills, he took advantage of a Bennett pass deflected into the air by Derion Kendrick, corralling it for an interception.
7) Landman in command. Linebackers coach Greg Williams told theRams.com during OTAs that Landman was transitioning "seamlessly" into Los Angeles' defense, and also that "he's come in and guys respect him just from where he's been and what he's done." That was evident throughout Thursday's practice. Whenever the defense huddled, he consistently had the eyes and attention of every teammate pre-snap, which says a lot about the respect he has already commanded in such a short amount of time.
8) Training camp is for experimenting. Verse made a concerted effort to work the edge throughout Thursday's practice, which he said was by design after specifically focusing on his counter and inside moves in Wednesday's practice.
9) Pass rush getting after it. One of the defensive front's best moments on Thursday was a pressure generated against Garoppolo in red zone drills that forced him into an incomplete pass – one that safety Quentin Lake was in coverage for and nearly intercepted by the sideline. Lake's effort and near-pick had the entire defense fired up and celebrating with him.
10) Continued promising performances at cornerback. Cornerback Cobie Durant picked up where he left off on Wednesday, breaking up a pass in the end zone. Cornerback Emmanuel Forbes Jr. likewise put together back-to-back strong practices.
"I've been really pleased with (Forbes)," McVay said. "We talked about him a lot in the spring, a guy that did a great job in the weight room of being able to put on some weight to be able to play this game while also not losing the functional movement and some of the things that have made him a guy that was a first-round pick."
