Random Ramsdom: Rams re-sign two players

Rams re-sign Christian Rozeboom, Shaun Jolly (profootballtalk.nbcsports)

“Monday’s transaction report from the league shows that cornerback Shaun Jolly and linebacker Christian Rozeboom have signed their deals. Both players were tendered contracts earlier this year and they were unable to enter into negotiations with any other teams as a result.

Jolly signed with the Browns after going undrafted last year and landed on their practice squad. The Rams signed him to their active roster and played six special teams snaps over two games.

Rozeboom appeared in every game last season and played a key role on special teams. He recorded eight tackles.”

Matthew Stafford content to stick around for Rams’ remodel (detroitnews)

“Thousand Oaks, Calif. – Matthew Stafford asked to leave Detroit only two years ago. After 12 seasons with no playoff victories, the star quarterback decided he couldn’t stick around while the Lions went through another franchise rebuild.

Stafford had none of those concerns Monday when he went back to work with the Los Angeles Rams, who are not calling their offseason a rebuild even though their roster has been decimated by free agency and cap-motivatedplayer departures.

His Super Bowl ring and his $160 million contract over the next four seasons aren’t the only reasons the 35-year-old Stafford is content to stick with the Rams’ remodeling project.

“I love being here,” Stafford said before the start of the Rams’ offseason program. “I really love playing with the guys that we have in this locker room. Obviously there’s going to be some new faces. There’s some great teammates of mine that are no longer going to be teammates of mine … but I love coming to work here. I love working with our coaches. That made that decision easy for me, and I didn’t feel like it was the same kind of level (as the rebuild in Detroit), and that’s yet to be seen.”

Rams’ Matthew Stafford Discusses Career Future on Heels of Season-Ending Injury (si.com)

“I mean, I felt really confident I was coming back,” Stafford said Monday. “I feel like more people were less confident in that than I was. But I was ready to go, ready to play as soon as I was cleared. And I feel great, I feel healthy. I’m not 25, but I definitely feel good.”

Stafford dealt with several concussions in 2022, and his season ended early due to a spinal cord contusion. In his nine games played, he threw for 2,087 yards and 10 touchdowns but also threw eight interceptions.

Coach Sean McVay said Stafford will have no limitations during offseason workouts and the veteran quarterback is excited to not have any restraints as he looks to get things back on track for 2023.

“Yeah, I’ll be out there. I’ve been throwing with the guys a decent amount leading up to this. So, I feel good,” Stafford said. “Obviously, going to do everything I can to try to be as healthy as I can at all times. [I’m] not probably a human JUGS machine like I used to be. But, can still get it out there and throw it around a bunch.

“So, it’ll be a process like it always is to try to stay as healthy as you possibly can at all times,” he continued. “But I definitely feel like I can go out there and compete and do everything I want to do, which is fun and exciting for me.”

Look: Rams players arrive for 1st day of offseason program (theramswire.usatoday)

“The Rams are back in the building. After some time off following their 5-12 season in 2022, players have begun to arrive for the offseason workout program.

The first day of the program was Monday and players are getting back in the swing of things ahead of OTAs and eventually minicamp. Matthew Stafford and Cam Akers were among the first to arrive, as were Jordan Fuller, Brian Allen, Brycen Hopkins and others.

Obviously, the team won’t be practicing just yet and the pads won’t come on until training camp, so football isn’t completely back yet. But seeing players back in the Rams’ building in April sure is exciting.

And with the draft taking place next week, there will be even more new faces in Thousand Oaks not long from now.”

Late-Round Steal: Should Rams Draft Syracuse RB Sean Tucker? (fannation/ramsdigest)

“With current starting running back Cam Akers entering the last year of his rookie deal, and the diminishing market for running back in free agency, it looks unlikely that the Los Angeles Rams will give him a second contract.

And outside of Akers, the only other running backs the Rams have on their roster are Ronnie Rivers and Kyren Williams, who have a combined 44 career carries.

As such, it seems clear that the Rams should look to add another running back in the 2023 NFL draft.

Luckily for general manager Les Snead, this year’s draft is deep at the running back position.

Many running backs drafted during the later rounds are projected to have solid NFL careers, including Syracuse’s Sean Tucker, who could be a Rams target on Day 3

Tucker was the team’s lead back from the moment he joined Syracuse. He was the team’s leading rusher in all three seasons with Syracuse.

After 2021, many college football scouts touted Tucker as an early favorite for the 2022 Heisman trophy. His 2021 campaign was one where he rushed for 1,515 yards and 12 touchdowns.

But in 2022, his stats dropped as he only rushed for 1,062 and 11 touchdowns. Tucker also received 40 fewer carries in 2022 than in 2021. The simple answer for his steep in numbers is that Syracuse was a much better football team in 2022 and did not need to rely on Tucker as much as they did in 2021, which shouldn’t be a knock on Tucker during the pre-draft process.”