IRVINE, Calif. – The Rams held their first practice of Training Camp presented by UNIFY Financial Credit Union on Wednesday at UC Irvine, giving the fans on hand multiple moments to cheer for.
Staff writer Stu Jackson shares 10 Observations from the session:
1) Terrell Burgess is back. The second-year safety made a couple of big plays during team drills, first intercepting a John Wolford pass and returning it for a touchdown, then breaking up a Matthew Stafford pass over the middle intended for DeSean Jackson.
2) DeSean Jackson still has his speed. The 34-year-old receiver connected with Stafford deep down the left sideline for a long touchdown catch, with plenty of space between him and the next-closest defender. The play drew loud cheers from the crowd.
3) Jordan Fuller emerges as a defensive signal-caller candidate. The second-year safety and former sixth round pick wore the green dot on his helmet during Wednesday's practice, indicating the aforementioned role. Rams head coach Sean McVay said after practice that they're still experimenting with who gets that role – "there's a couple of guys that are candidates," McVay said.
4) Rob Havenstein mentors Max Pircher. While it's not the first time Rob Havenstein or a Rams veteran has taken the time to aid Pircher's development, Havenstein was giving him pointers during warmups. Max Pircher said in May that one thing that stood out about the Rams' experienced players was the patience they showed toward rookies, and if there wasn't something they could teach them, they did so right away.
5) Iron sharpens iron. One of the top moments of the day was watching cornerback Jalen Ramsey defend wide receiver Robert Woods during one-on-one drills. Stafford launched a pass deep down the right sideline for Woods, but couldn't connect with Ramsey in coverage and running step for step with Woods. After the period ended, Woods and Ramsey talked and appeared to be giving each other pointers.
6) Dont'e Deayon nearly comes up with an impressive interception. The fourth-year cornerback was covering Jackson and nearly made an interception while falling backwards, but the official ruled it incomplete because he didn't get both feet down before falling out of bounds. Nonetheless, it was still another impressive play that got the fans in attendance exciting, drawing appreciatory applause for the effort.
7) Cooper Kupp connection. Stafford used great ball placement to find Cooper Kupp on a pass toward the left sideline in tight coverage.
8) Kupp connection, Part II. Stafford also found Kupp over the middle during team drills.
9) Troy Warner time. The rookie safety out of BYU made an impressive interception on a deep Devlin Hodges pass over the middle, maintaining control while falling to the ground.
10) Welcome back, fans. From a general atmosphere standpoint, it was great seeing fans back at training camp, especially when hearing their "oohs" and "aahhs" after big plays during team drills.
