LOS ANGELES – Monday brought the first padded practice of Rams Training Camp presented by UNIFY Financial Credit Union. It was a run-heavy day that saw some stout defensive play up front and a few standout performances.
Afterward, head coach Sean McVay and defensive end Kobie Turner spoke with the media about the practice and the growth of the Rams' defense. Here are the most significant quotes and talking points from those press conferences:
"(Defensive tackle) Poona (Ford), really, like, you saw his worth today... Just the way that he commands attention, the way that he defeats double teams, and then obviously he has a lot of pass rush ability that's going to be able to help us as well. And that's shown on the other days, but today was run-heavy and, man, he showed up today really big." - Turner
Ford was signed to a three-year deal this offseason, and he's already impressing the Rams' third-year captain. Turner also praised linebacker Nate Landman's command of the huddle and ability to create turnovers. "I'm ecstatic, if you can't tell already... about what this defense is going to be," Turner said.
Turner also echoed McVay's praise of defensive end Tyler Davis, who he described as "one of the most consistent guys year-round." Davis' technique is fantastic, Turner said, "the way that he plays double teams, the way that he plays on the inside of his toes, the way that he strikes blocks, I mean, it's everything that you want."
"Another thing that comes to mind... with all of our guys is position flexibility. I mean, we're playing the three (technique) the two, the shade, the five, the four, it doesn't matter. And so all of our guys take ownership of that and I'm excited to see how that translates on the field, how that keeps us fresh." - Turner
The Rams have a diverse group of defensive linemen that, although they aren't the biggest, have pristine technique regardless of how or where they line up. That positional depth makes the top four interior defensive linemen in the Rams' rotation "interchangeable," Turner said.
Turner played almost every snap early on last year, so once third down rolled around, he "didn't have as much juice." But now with more experienced versions of Davis and Braden Fiske along with a veteran in Ford, they can rotate more affectively and save energy for pass rush opportunities without sacrificing as much on run downs.
Turner said "there's a lot more of an emphasis on personal responsibility" in this defense. Every pass rusher has "a specific job within a given framework of a play." There are opportunities detailed for each player, and the coaches try to script those so it plays to each individual's strengths.
As strong as the pass rush was at the end of last season, it seems like they have an even clearer identity in 2025.
"No updates (on Matthew Stafford's injury or Kyren Williams' potential contract extension). Matthew will be week-to-week. And so, it'll be the same for the rest of the week on that. And then as far as Kyren, again, had a lot of good dialogue with (senior manager of football administration) Matthew Shearin and I talked to (agent) Drew (Rosenhaus) and his brother the other day. It's very healthy conversations and I give him a ton of credit for the way that they've approached it." - McVay
Monday's practice proceeded without Stafford, who is dealing with back soreness. He was originally expected to play this week, but McVay on Saturday said they will hold him out. Meanwhile, the Rams and Rosenhaus have had multiple conversations, but a new deal has not been agreed upon with the fourth-year running back, although he has been at practice every day.
McVay said Monday's practice showed "physicality, but still being smart to protect each other." He called out inside linebacker Nate Landman for his leadership and outside linebacker Jared Verse for making his presence felt in a more physical setting.
"I thought you saw (running back) Jarquez (Hunter) do an excellent job. He's heavy, he's got a great body lean, and even though we're not truly tackling, you can feel that he is heavy through the hole. He's got a really good demeanor, man, he just kind of stares a hole through you. But he is continuing to show improvement." - McVay
The run-heavy practice gave the Rams' running backs opportunities to shine, and McVay was impressed with the rookie out of Auburn. He also said that Williams did a "great job of setting the tone" and was "pleased" with second-year back Blake Corum, who broke a couple runs into the secondary.
Still, the defensive line got their licks in, and McVay said he's "been really pleased with the growth" of that unit. McVay singled out Davis as someone who "deserves to be mentioned" with that group and said he will "be a major factor" for the Rams this season.
