Aaron Donald has retired, leaving the Los Angeles Rams with one of the youngest defensive lines in the NFL. Matthews Stafford enters his 16th NFL season and is still one of the game’s top-10 quarterbacks.
Puka Nacua is on injured reserve, the offensive line is in shambles, but Cooper Kupp looks as healthy and effective as he has in three seasons.
It’s time to take a look at the Arizona Cardinals‘ Week-2 opponent.
In the latest edition of Outside the Nest, we caught up with Orange County Register beat writer Adam Grosbard for news, insight and analysis of the Cardinals’ NFC West rival.
What is the state of the offensive line with four starters out due to injury or suspension?
Grosbard: Only Jonah Jackson practiced in full on Wednesday. The free-agent acquisition has moved back from center to left guard due to Steve Avila’s MCL sprain, while rookie Beaux Limmer will fill in at center after allowing two pressures in 24 pass block snaps in the second half of Week 1.
Avila is out, and left tackle Alaric Jackson is serving the final game of his personal conduct suspension. So that’s two starters for sure down against the Cardinals. Right tackle Rob Havenstein (ankle) was a partial participant in practice Wednesday, but his status for Sunday is still up in the air. Right guard Kevin Dotson (foot) was held out on Wednesday, but head coach Sean McVay says he’s expected to play against the Cardinals.
So, there are still some moving parts as we approach Sunday. If Havenstein can play, the Rams would flip backup tackle Warren McClendon Jr. from the right to the left side. The second-year player practiced on both sides during the preseason, so it should be an easy enough transition. If Havenstein can’t play, who starts as the second tackle is up in the air.
A.J. Arcuri was brought up from the practice squad for Week 1, but the Rams signed veteran tackle Geron Christian Sr. to the active roster and Ty Nsekhe to the practice squad. If Dotson unexpectedly misses the game, former third-round pick Logan Bruss figures to fill in at right guard.
Is it safe to say after a 14-catch, 110-yard, one-TD effort in Week 1 that Cooper Kupp is fully healthy and back to his old self?
Grosbard: This is the healthiest Kupp has been since 2021, his triple crown, Super Bowl MVP season. On top of that, the chaos in which the Rams’ offense is being forced to operate is a circumstance in which Kupp has thrived in the past.
The first two weeks of the season for the Rams have been eerily similar to 2022, in which the team set a dubious record with 11 different starting offensive line combinations in the first 11 weeks of the season while injuries plagued the unit. But with concerns about run blocking and how much time Matthew Stafford has to throw, Kupp becomes an alternative to the run game as a possession receiver.
When Kupp was asked to fill this role in 2022, he averaged 11.6 targets, 9.0 receptions and 101.6 yards per game through the first eight weeks of the season. In the season opener against the Lions on Sunday, we saw an overcharged version of this brand of the Rams’ offense. Kupp had a career-high 21 targets, catching 14 for 110 yards and a touchdown. This is the best version of Kupp — one that we haven’t seen since Nov. 2022.
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How will Puka Nacua’s injury impact the Rams offense?
Grosbard: Schematically, the Rams will stay the same, but they will certainly miss the gravity that Nacua brings. It’s a lot easier to dedicate extra attention to Cooper Kupp when Nacua isn’t keeping you honest.
I’d expect Kupp to continue to see a staggering target rate (41.2% in Week 1). Demarcus Robinson will have his role, but veteran Tyler Johnson figures to be the biggest beneficiary without Nacua. Johnson caught a two-yard route on Sunday and turned it into a 63-yard gain with a couple of choice cuts. He can be a difference maker for the Rams while Nacua is on injured reserve.
What do you expect from QB Matthew Stafford in his 16th NFL season?
Grosbard: The man’s got the answers to all the test questions now. Even with the offensive line shuffling in front of him, Stafford took a drive to figure out his new timing and then started going back through his progressions. He’s lifting up receivers like Johnson and Robinson, not to mention tight end Colby Parkinson.
The sidearms and no-look passes are still there, but he’s getting more clever about ducking sacks and extending plays outside the pocket. Stafford is still at the top of his game.
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What have you learned about new defensive coordinator Chris Shula and the defense after one week?
Grosbard: Shula has kept the 3-4 scheme left behind by Raheem Morris in place. But he simplified the game plan on Sunday against the Lions to keep the Rams’ defense reacting quickly instead of processing too much mentally as they play. That strategy makes sense for such a young group, but how sustainable it is as the Rams put more of the defense on film remains to be seen.
What are the expectations for the Rams’ young pass rushers and the pass rush in general without sure-fire Hall-of-Famer Aaron Donald?
Grosbard: There was a really cool moment for the Rams on the first drive of the game against the Lions. Byron Young sacked Jared Goff, but he wasn’t the only Ram to win a matchup on the play. First-round pick Jared Verse, second rounder Braden Fiske and Young’s fellow 2023 third-round selection Kobie Turner all pushed their blockers back, closing the pocket for Young to get the sack.
That quartet is the core around which the Rams will build their defense for the next few years. That play, against an offensive line as talented as the Lions’, was a good sign for what the Rams are building after Donald’s retirement. There were also reminders of growing pains — Verse was out of position on one of David Montgomery’s key overtime carries, Fiske struggled to get consistent push in pass rush — but the Rams are starting to put together an intriguing group up front.
Top photo illustration via Sidney Pinger, ALLCITY Network
