Random Ramsdom: Rams lose another assistant coach

Panthers hire Rams assistant head coach Thomas Brown as new offensive coordinator under Frank Reich (CBSSports)

“The Carolina Panthers are making another splash in the coaching world. The team, under new head coach Frank Reich, hired Los Angeles Rams assistant head coach Thomas Brown as its next offensive coordinator on Friday.

Brown is a highly respected assistant who has served as both a running backs coach and tight ends coach. He has spent the past three seasons in Los Angeles, which was his first NFL stop after years coaching running backs in the collegiate ranks, as well as serving as offensive coordinator for the University of Miami for three seasons.

Brown was a running back himself, selected in the sixth round of the 2008 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons. He missed his entire rookie year due to injury and was waived prior to the following season. He spent the next two years with the Cleveland Browns on their practice squad before getting into coaching.”

Rams’ rookie class ranked 29th in NFL (RamsWire)

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

“The Rams rarely get much out of their rookies in Year 1. They’re a team that emphasizes drafting for the future rather than seeking immediate impact players, choosing not to reach to fill a need on the roster.

It doesn’t help that the Rams are typically drafting outside the first round, and in 2022, they didn’t make a pick until the third round. They selected Logan Bruss with their first pick, followed by Cobie Durant and Kyren Williams in Rounds 4 and 5.

As a whole, the Rams’ draft class has been a major disappointment. Bruss missed the entire season, Williams was sidelined for the first seven weeks and Quentin Lake sat out eight games due to a knee injury of his own. Durant and Derion Kendrick were the only rookies who made any sort of meaningful impact, which is why the Rams rank so low in CBS Sports’ rookie class rankings.”

4 options to restore the LA Rams pass rush in 2023 (RamblinFan)

“The LA Rams love to get after the quarterback, and the fans love to see the Rams pass rush bring down opposing quarterbacks. In fact, it’s one of the LA Rams signature defensive plays, a huge pass rush from Aaron Donald sealed their win in the NFC Championship Game against the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI. The oddest part about that play is the fact that almost everyone in SoFi Stadium knew it was coming. And yet, nobody could stop Donald from stopping the Bengals.

Here we are, just one year later, wondering what the LA Rams need to do to restore their once lauded pass rush. It was not just one player, it was everyone, a collapse of such significance that it affected the teams ability to cover opposing wide receivers. Just one year ago, the LA Rams finished the season with 50 quarterback sacks, and seemed to leave even more on the football field. In 2022, the Rams finished the season with just 38 quarterback sacks.”

Rams aim to help spread Kenny Washington’s story of re-integrating the NFL with new film (NFL.com)

“When Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes and Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts faced each other in Sunday’s thrilling showdown, they became the first two Black quarterbacks to oppose each other on the Super Bowl stage — and it didn’t happen until the 57th iteration of the game. It was a significant milestone, to be sure, but it also might have called to mind the many other Black football players who put in the time to deal with adversity and significant challenges before Mahomes and Hurts, including Fritz Pollard, Jim Brown, Ernie Davis and Doug Williams.

There’s also one name that, according to Johnathan Franklin, has flown too far under the radar.

“Telling Kenny Washington’s story is long overdue,” said Franklin, Rams director of social justice and football development (and a former NFL running back), in a phone interview Wednesday. “There’s never a perfect moment to tell his story, but when you think of the reach we have today with social media, and in this moment at the height of social justice nationally, it will have a greater impact than it would have had 10 or 15 years ago.”

Growing up in Lincoln Heights, a neighborhood just outside of downtown Los Angeles, Washington led his high school to its most recent city championship in football in 1935 before becoming the first All-American football player in UCLA history in 1939. He eventually signed with the Los Angeles Rams on March 21, 1946, re-integrating the NFL after a ban on Black players that lasted from 1934 through 1945.”

Troy Hill’s contract voids today, making him a free agent in March (RamsWire)

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

“When the Los Angeles Rams acquired Troy Hill in a trade with the Cleveland Browns, they knew he had just one year left on his contract. Technically, there were three years left, but the final two of the contract automatically voided.

Essentially, the Browns added on two extra years simply to spread out his money, making it easier to fit him under the cap in 2021 when they signed him. On Friday, Hill’s final two years will officially void.

That means he’ll become an unrestricted free agent on March 15, the first day of the new league year, meaning any team will be able to sign him. The Rams can bring him back, too, but that seems unlikely after the up-and-down season he had.”