Taylor Rapp not letting adversity of injury and demotion slow him down...

Taylor Rapp not letting adversity of injury and demotion slow him down

[theramswire.usatoday.com]

Cameron DaSilva

Taylor Rapp got an opportunity to start last season after John Johnson suffered a season-ending shoulder injury. As a rookie, Rapp started the final 10 games of the season and played at a high level, especially for a first-year player.

Unfortunately, an injury also cost him his starting job this year after he was sidelined with a knee issue during camp. He missed all of the Rams’ padded practice this summer and when the season began, he was a backup to rookie Jordan Fuller.

Rapp has since bounced between starter and backup with injuries taking Fuller in an out of the lineup through the first six weeks. The ever-changing roles has been a challenge for Rapp, but he’s prepared like a starter all along.

“Obviously I had that unfortunate injury during camp and stuff like that and obviously the coaches went ahead and started Jordan over (me) and so it’s definitely been tough for me,” he said Wednesday. “But every week, I really prepare like I’m a starter no matter what. If I’m an actual starter playing all 100% of the defense or whether that’s 15, 20, 30 snaps on defense or just a special teams player. I’m going to prepare like a starter, make sure I’m getting my preparation during the week because like we saw, I had an opportunity ­– you never know when someone goes down, obviously with the unfortunate injury with Jordan – so you never know when you get your chance so you always want to be prepared. So I’ve always for the first six games in this whole season, I prepared like I’m going to be a starter and I’m going to play 100% of the snaps.”

Rapp has started two games and been a backup in the other four. He played less than 25% of the snaps in three games and at least 89% in the other three. It’s been a rollercoaster of a season for the second-year safety, but he’s taking everything in stride.

And as the season progresses, he continues to gain more comfort in Brandon Staley’s system. By missing most of training camp, Rapps opportunities were limited. He didn’t get the on-field reps that Fuller and the other safeties did, which shrunk his role on defense.

But he’s getting more familiar with the scheme and beginning to play freer without thinking as much, which you can see while watching Rapp on the field.

“Any time you can get more comfortable with the defense and get more reps, obviously you’re going to feel a lot more comfortable, you’re going to be able to play loose out there, play free,” he said. “Like you said, I had that unfortunate situation where I missed most of training camp with an injury and I wasn’t able to get those reps, but now with me being back and playing these first six games and getting more reps under my belt, I’m starting to feel a lot more comfortable, playing a lot looser and just playing free. That’s what the end goal is, that’s what everyone wants to work to.”

Rapp has 33 tackles and one pass defensed in six games so far, but those numbers will grow in the coming weeks. Fuller is currently on injured reserve and can’t return until Week 10 at the earliest, giving Rapp two more weeks of starting reps. After that, Fuller will likely return to the starting lineup, pushing Rapp back to a reserve role once again.