Random Ramsdom: Baker Mayfield has more to say about his time with LA

By the end of the season I think the Los Angeles Rams were checked out and ready for a break. I think the fans were too. However one of (and there was more than one) highlight for last year’s Rams, but the biggest highlight had to be Baker Mayfield coming into LA and beating the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday Night football.

Read about some Rams links here for 6-29-23, check out our community question at the bottom and stay positive. It’s almost Friday.

Buccaneers’ Baker Mayfield opens up about Rams tenure (yardbarker)

“The Cleveland Browns acquired Deshaun Watson from the Houston Texans in March 2022 and then traded Mayfield to the Carolina Panthers last July. Mayfield ultimately flopped with the Panthers and was released in early December, and it was subsequently learned the Rams were the only team to place a waiver claim for the first overall pick from the 2018 NFL Draft.

Mayfield appeared in five games and went 1-3 as a starter with the Rams. In total, he completed 82 of 129 passes (63.6%) for 850 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions across that stretch.

“To be around a coach like Sean McVay and a bunch of other guys… to be around those guys and to be in that offense and now looking forward to being in Tampa because it’s a very similar system with our new offensive coordinator [Dave Canales],” Mayfield explained.

Mayfield signed a one-year “prove it” contract to join the Buccaneers early into this offseason and presumably leads 2021 second-round draft pick Kyle Trask in a competition that could run through the end of training camp. The 28-year-old sounds settled and eager to make the Buccaneers more than just his latest pit stop.

“Revitalized,” Mayfield said about his mindset ahead of resuming the in-practice battle involving Trask later this summer. “I’m really excited and pumped up and just looking forward to the future.”

2023 NFL Preview: ‘Boring’ Rams take foot off the gas after awful Super Bowl defense (sports.yahoo.com)

“The Rams were dreadful. It didn’t look that bad before the bye, when they were 3-3 with losses to the Buffalo Bills, Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers. Those were three of the best teams in the NFL. After that it was painful. They lost six straight after the bye. They did have a ridiculous comeback win against the Las Vegas Raiders with Baker Mayfield playing quarterback a couple days after he was signed, and a blowout of a Denver Broncos team that was having an even more awful season than the Rams. But those were rare highlights.

They lost Stafford, Kupp and Donald to season-ending injuries. The Rams built a top-heavy roster and those injuries made their lineup look like it was the preseason. Their 12 losses was the most for a defending Super Bowl champion, beating the record of the 1999 Broncos who went 6-10 after John Elway retired. McVay, who contemplated retirement after the Super Bowl too, looked miserable most of the season and it sounded like he was going to step away. Then he suddenly said he’d be back.

That’s the first step back for the Rams. McVay and Snead are excellent at their jobs. Maybe Stafford, with growing health concerns, won’t be around much longer. Donald, on a short list of candidates for greatest defensive player ever, has considered retirement too. But there should be faith in the Rams’ brass to fix things quickly.

McVay and Snead are practically starting over. We’ve seen their approach in chasing a championship, and that hyper-aggressive strategy might not work with a total rebuild. We’ll see if the Rams can drive in the slow lane for a while.

Offseason grade

What does life in the NFL look like if you keep kicking your cap issues down the road? The Rams’ free-agent class this offseason is backup quarterback Brett Rypien and receiver Demarcus Robinson. That’s it. Meanwhile, these are among the players they lost in free agency, cuts or trades: cornerback Jalen Ramsey, edge rusher Leonard Floyd, receiver Allen Robinson II, punter Riley Dixon, kicker Matt Gay, safeties Taylor Rapp and Nick Scott, linebacker Bobby Wagner, defensive linemen A’Shawn Robinson and Greg Gaines, and quarterbacks Baker Mayfield and John Wolford. The Rams did get back tight end Hunter Long (one career reception for eight yards) from the Dolphins in the Ramsey trade along with a third-round pick. That’s not getting anyone excited. The draft was all about quantity. The Rams didn’t have a first-round pick. Guard Steve Avila, at No. 36 overall, was their first pick. Edge rusher Byron Young and defensive tackle Kobie Turner were third-round picks. Quarterback Stetson Bennett was a curious pick in the fourth. The Rams had 14 picks but 10 came in the fifth round or later. Some of those players will contribute out of necessity, but it’s hard to rely on late-round picks to become difference makers. The Rams signed 26 undrafted free agents, a stunning number that is another indication of how thin the roster is. It was a dreadful offseason.”

Rams land Chris Jones in NFL 1st-round redraft, miss Aaron Donald by 1 pick (ramswire)

“It’s always interesting to ponder how the NFL would be altered if the league were to hold a redraft. Touchdown Wire’s Natalie Miller conducted a first-round redraft for the NFL and the Los Angeles Rams selected Chris Jones with the 19th overall pick.

The Rams miss out on returning Aaron Donald to the fold, but do land the next best thing with the selection of Chris Jones who has played close to the same level in the past few seasons.

The draft order was randomized and the Rams were rewarded the 19th overall pick, putting them one pick behind the Green Bay Packers. In Miller’s first-round redraft, the Packers took Aaron Donald, preventing the Rams from selecting their own All-Pro defender.

Meanwhile, Jones isn’t an awful selection as the interior defender for the Kansas City Chiefs has also been one of the most dominant players in recent years. Amid a Super Bowl run for the Chiefs, Jones tied career-best marks in sacks (15.5) and quarterback hits (29) in 2022.”

Newcomer update: Stetson Bennett (therams.com)

“How He Got Here: The Rams used their fourth selection in the 2023 NFL Draft on Bennett, taking him 128th overall in the fourth round.

What’s Next: Continuing to learn the offense. The playcalls come in fast and in an earpiece, which is different from the college level where those are primarily relayed via signs and hand signals from the sideline. It’s going to continue to be a transition, but one that Bennett has handled capably this spring. Rams general manager Les Snead on the Rich Eisen Show on May 11 said that “on paper,” their vision is to have Bennett backup Stafford.

Bet You Didn’t Know: Bennett had only 12 turnover-worthy plays last season, according to Pro Football Focus, which defines the metric as “a pass that has a high percentage chance to be intercepted or a poor job of taking care of the ball and fumbling.” That mark was 28th-fewest in the country.

Quotable: ”I think he’s taking it a day at a time, but I’ve been really pleased with him. These settings, especially without the pads on, quarterbacks can’t get tackled, but I think you’ve seen steady progress. (Quarterbacks Coach/Pass Game Specialist) Zac Robinson’s done a great job with him as well as (Offensive Coordinator) Michael LaFleur. But the one thing that does stand out is when the ball is in Stetson’s hands, (the) game makes sense to him. He’s got a good feel for being able to get through progressions quickly. He can feel space on the backend as it relates to just, hey, there’s a lot of different coverage contours that he’s seeing, but he feels open areas and he can get through things quickly. And you love the athleticism, but there’s still a lot of work to be done. But I like his demeanor. He just stays nice and steady, doesn’t get too high, doesn’t get too low, and he’s a fun guy to be around.” – Rams head coach Sean McVay after Day 2 of mandatory minicamp”

As the lead article points out Baker Mayfield is no longer with the Rams. We know they went on to draft Stetson Bennett and that’s very exciting, but I’ll ask: Should LA have moved on from Matthew Stafford and went with Baker Mayfield? Or found a way to make Baker happy as the backup? Feel free to let us know what you think below! I may need to do more of an article on this.