THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – The Rams held their third OTA practice open to the media on Tuesday, which prompted updates on linebacker Ernest Jones IV and offensive linemen Rob Havenstein and Jonah Jackson, and also included some impressive plays made.
Here are some of the notes and and observations from it:
1) Taking a cautious approach with Jones IV and Havenstein: According to Rams head coach Sean McVay, Jones and Havenstein are each dealing with a "knee issue," which is why they were not participating in team drills during Tuesday's session.
"Nothing to be concerned about," McVay said. "These are guys that have played a lot of football, so we err on the side of caution."
2) Jackson "in good shape": The Rams continue to be smart with Jackson's participation level in OTAs, but McVay said Jackson is "in good shape."
"There was a couple guys that we really had in mind as the goal was always, let's be able to get them onboarded above the neck, let's build the right foundation and have those guys ready to go when we open up training camp on the 23rd of July," McVay said. "And so that's where he's at. He's been a stud, just as a person, obviously, he's got a great resume. But the way he works day in and day out, whether it's in the weight room, in the meeting room, in some of our walkthrough types of settings, been really impressed and pleased with him."
With Jackson not participating, the Rams rotated often at left guard.
3) Threading the needle: One of quarterback Matthew Stafford's best passes of the day came on a throw he threaded over the middle to wide receiver Cooper Kupp through three defenders for a long completion.
4) Going deep: One of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo's best passes of the day came on a deep ball launched downfield to rookie wide receiver Jordan Whittington, who displayed impressive concentration holding on to the ball.
5) Going up: Tight end Colby Parkinson had arguably the best catch of the day, when the 6-foot-7, 265-pounder "climbed the ladder" in McVay's words to snag one of Garoppolo's passes out of the air before a defender could get to it.
6) Picked: Linebacker Troy Reeder made a case for the play of the day defensively, jumping in front of a Stafford pass intended for Kupp for an interception.
