Stock Up, Stock Down before Week 1: Allen Robinson expected to shine
Tutu Atwell set to have more involvement in year two
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Steven Ridings
Come Thursday night it will have been 206 days since the Los Angeles Rams took the field for meaningful football. In that time, we have celebrated a Lombardi Trophy being brought to Los Angeles, a free agency that included the additions of Allen Robinson II and Bobby Wagner, and stolen a Draft (thanks to a few who could also be “movie stars”). The Rams received their Super Bowl rings in a private party and our Head Coach, Sean McVay tied the knot.
Amidst all of that, the players have been training and working to improve for the 2022 season and for some to earn larger roles. Some have caught the eye of Les Snead and Sean McVay, such as Lance McCutcheon in the preseason. Others have failed to seize opportunities. Who has improved their stock the most? Who has dropped the ball? Here are five players that have elevated their stock and five that have seen their stock drop going into Thursday’s opener.
Stock Up
Allen Robinson II, WR
After eight years, the talented wide receiver is hoping to have finally found gold in LA. Robinson has blown away the Rams coaching staff this spring and summer. ARII is now another chess piece on Sean McVay’s board, and the sky is the limit.
“I think he’s doing an unbelievable job of learning this offense, figuring out how he fits in, learning to run those routes with feel and confidence and not thinking that’s coming and coming and coming,” - Matthew Stafford
2. Tutu Atwell, WR
After being shunned by fans in his rookie year, Atwell made big strides in training camp. Utilized as the deep threat, Atwell will get the chance to show off his speed aplenty. He won’t be the starter, I believe Skowronek will get the nod, but Atwell will replace him often as WR3.
NFL: Los Angeles Rams Training Camp Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sportsnone
3. Brycen Hopkins, TE
Considered one of the standouts of training camp. Hopkins positive play earned him a promotion to TE2, while Kendall Blanton was waived. He will probably only see 20% of the offensive snaps, but his ability to be used in 12 personnel as a blocker or receiver is significant value.
4. Coleman Shelton, RG
After Los Angeles selected Bruss in the third round of the 2022 draft, it was expected he would start right away. That is until Shelton outright won the RG job early in training camp. He still has to prove it on game days, but Shelton has found his way to starter status.
5. Nick Scott, S
Scott’s promotion was earned from his phenomenal play during the Rams playoff run. From his interception on Brady in the Divisional Round to laying the hit stick on Deebo in the Conference Championship, the Nittany Lion has shown he can excel with more snaps on the field.
NFL: NFC Championship-San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Rams Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sportsnone
Stock Down
Darrell Henderson, RB
Even though Cam Akers is the clear-cut starter, Henderson could have cut into his snaps with a well-rounded training camp. However, the four-year player was out for the majority of the offseason nursing soft tissue injuries; something that has plagued him his entire career. Not to mention, Kyren Williams managed to impress at the tail end of camp.
2. Van Jefferson, WR
Van Jefferson had a solid second year. But he still has yet to make the jump to becoming a star. Unfortunately, two offseason surgeries on the same knee starts year three with a rocky start.
3. Bobby Brown III, DT
Bobby Brown had a clear path to becoming the first defensive lineman rotated in for games. But a six-game suspension for PEDs spoiled those plans.
4. Terrell Lewis, EDGE
Terrell Lewis has not done anything wrong, but he also failed to unseat Justin Hollins for the starting job opposite Leonard Floyd. Maybe it will be a 50/50 split, but nonetheless, Lewis is slated to be the backup.
5. Terrell Burgess, S
Fans have been waiting for Burgess to get more playing time. However, the coaching staff has failed to pull the trigger on replacing Rapp with Burgess. Meanwhile, Nick Scott wasted no time taking the job himself. It didn’t help matters that Burgess played in the preseason while Fuller, Rapp, and Scott did not see any snaps.
