Rams have only 1 playmaker at camp with more than 2 years on team...

Rams have one playmaker at minicamp with more than two years on team

Bryan Kalbrosky

[theramswire.usatoday.com]

Wide receiver Tavon Austin is sidelined due to injury, leaving the Los Angeles Rams just one playmaker with more than two years of experience on their roster.

The Rams have an unreal turnover for their playmakers (quarterback, running back and fullback, wide receiver, tight end) in recent years. Austin was drafted by the Rams in 2013 but is currently inactive. Otherwise, that leaves just fullback Cory Harkey as the only player who has been with the team since before 2015.


WR Robert Woods has NFL experience as he is entering his fifth professional season. But this is his first offseason with the Rams. RB Lance Dunbar is in a similar situation heading into his sixth season.

On the full 90-man roster, there are plenty of other players who are new to the team as well.

QB Dylan Thompson , fullback Zach Laskey, WR Brandon Shippen and TE Travis Wilson have not yet played an NFL game. RB Lenard Tillery and WR Shakeir Ryan are both undrafted free agents for Los Angeles.

Rams coach Sean McVay spoke about the lack of experience after minicamp yesterday when discussing Jared Goff:

I think when you look at trying to find your identity and what you kind of want to hang your hat on within the framework of our offense, I think he’s picked some of those things up well. Again, like we always talk about, it’s going to be something where we want to do a good job as coaches figuring out our players and then we’ll adjust the system accordingly. We’ve got a lot of different things that we can do, but it’s about figuring out what these guys do best. Having an identity and making sure that you have some complements off that identity.

While McVay is new to the team, so are the players. As such, they will find out what works as a team together.

McVay was asked about Harkey, the one skill players on the team who has significant experience besides Austin. He said Harkey was a “great leader” and a versatile player.

However, the Rams picked up a new fullback during the 2017 NFL Draft. Even Harkey, who has been with the team for awhile, may no longer have a role moving forward.