LOS ANGELES – With the pads coming on for the first time on Monday, the Rams defense had a chance to make an opening statement for what it might look like now, without Aaron Donald, with Chris Shula guiding the ship.
The defense made that statement a good one, particularly in the run game. The defensive line and linebackers got into the backfield regularly, meeting running backs behind the line of scrimmage and generally disrupting any rhythm the Rams offense was trying to build.
“I feel like we had a really good day today,” safety Kamren Curl said. “I feel like this is a good foundation to build off of and we just gotta keep going forward.”
With Kobie Turner (groin) limited to individual drills, rookie defensive tackle Braden Fiske was at the center of that disruption. The second-round pick did a good job of getting off of blocks against the Rams’ first-team offensive line.
“I thought the energy from the defense was outstanding,” head coach Sean McVay said. “I really felt Braden Fiske today. He showed up in a big way. I think we had some things in that were in alignment that fit his skillset to allow him to really thrive and he took advantage of it.”
The defense had its moments in the passing game, too, with safety Russ Yeast diving in front of a pass to nearly intercept Stetson Bennett IV. The offense found a bit more rhythm during the red-zone portion of the practice, with Jimmy Garoppolo throwing the ball up to a leaping Hunter Long for a touchdown.
Still, the defense walked away encouraged, with an eye toward how the energy carried over to Tuesday.
“Usually, the second day of pads is when you learn something,” Curl said. “First day of pads, everybody’s geeked up, ready to go. So second day is really when you see who really wants to be physical, who wants to do it again.”
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