https://theathletic.com/1026481/2019/06 ... s-in-2019/Which three Rams players will enjoy breakout seasons in 2019?By Vinny Bonsignore and Rich Hammond 3h ago
These are good times for the Rams, who have stability and a talented roster that figures to put them in Super Bowl contention again in 2019. But every team has issues. So each week, Vinny Bonsignore and Rich Hammond will discuss and debate the Rams’ biggest current questions. Here are the topics to date.
The Rams are exactly where a team would want to be in mid-June, with no discernible holes on its depth chart. Every position has either a returning starter, an imported veteran or a young player who has been primed for a starring role for a year or two.
So let’s talk about that latter group. Everyone expects greatness from players such as Jared Goff and Aaron Donald, but in order for the Rams to reach the Super Bowl again, they’ll need improvement from less-heralded players, much like the way Cory Littleton and Austin Blythe stepped up last season.
The opportunities will be there, so here’s the question: Which three players seem primed for breakout seasons in 2019?
Rich HammondGerald Everett: If there’s one thing we knew about Sean McVay when the Rams hired him in January 2017, it’s that he was a tight ends guru and the Rams could expect immediate production from that position. Well, not really. Everett has only 49 catches in two seasons — although he did have one of the Rams’ highlight plays of 2018, with his fourth-quarter touchdown against Kansas City — and Tyler Higbee has been effective but has evolved into more of a pass-protection tight end.
Perhaps Everett is just a victim of the Rams’ greatness. On a team with Brandin Cooks, Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp and a pass-catching Todd Gurley, how many pass targets are available for a tight end? We might find out in 2019. With Gurley likely to take a step back and Kupp coming off ACL surgery, now is the time for Everett to step up. He can do it. At 6-foot-3, 240 pounds, Everett has a strong combination of size, strength and speed, and the Rams need to utilize it this season.
Samson Ebukam: There’s been plenty of talk this offseason about Rams outside linebackers Dante Fowler and Clay Matthews, but what about Ebukam? He’s been on a natural, steady progression since the Rams drafted him in the fourth round in 2017, and there’s reason to think he’s on the verge of a breakout.
Remember a couple things about Ebukam: He just turned 24, he came from an FCS school (Eastern Washington) and when Ebukam was drafted, it seemed fairly well known that he was going to be a bit of a project, a player who might take a couple years to emerge. In my mind, Ebukam exceeded early expectations when he became a starter last season, even though he finished with an underwhelming total of three sacks.
There’s going to have to be some growth in Ebukam’s game — including pass coverage — but he has the skill and drive to accomplish that. Plus, with opposing teams more likely to be eyeing Fowler and Matthews — not to mention Aaron Donald — the season sets up well for Ebukam to be a more impactful pass-rusher.
Joe Noteboom: The Rams don’t take their offensive line lightly, and that’s what gives me confidence here. At one point, I felt certain they would attempt to re-sign left guard Rodger Saffold, figuring that the risk of losing two veteran linemen — Saffold and center John Sullivan — during the same offseason would be too great. Then I thought about line coach Aaron Kromer, and about 2017.
After McVay took over and hired Kromer, I felt certain the Rams would overhaul their line. They brought in Sullivan and Andrew Whitworth but didn’t draft any linemen, which felt like a mistake. I was told Kromer felt confident in the incumbents and thought they could improve. Sure enough, Saffold turned into a force at guard, Rob Havenstein developed into an excellent right tackle and the Rams plucked Austin Blythe off the waiver wire and turned him into a starter at right guard on one of the NFL’s best lines.
What does this mean for Noteboom? Essentially, if Kromer trusts him, I trust him. Noteboom needed a little polishing after the Rams drafted him in the third round in 2018, and he got it last year as an understudy to Whitworth and Saffold. Noteboom got only sporadic playing time in 2018, but he certainly didn’t look out of place. Spending a year at left guard, next to Whitworth, should be perfect. Noteboom is responsible and is a quick study, and could be on track to slide to left tackle in 2020.
Vinny BonsignoreJohn Johnson: This doesn’t represent much of a surprise, as the Rams’ third-year safety played at a Pro Bowl level last season while leading all NFL safeties with 119 tackles and finishing third in interceptions at that position, with four. But while Johnson has quickly become a known quantity as one of the game’s up-and-coming defensive backs, he’s really just scratching the surface.
Johnson is on the cusp of stardom as a dynamic, versatile, playmaking force on the back end of the Rams’ defense. An even better performance this year — which he’s fully capable of delivering — will cement him as one of the game’s rising stars. The pairing of Johnson with veteran Eric Weddle can only help. Both are highly intelligent, instinctive players, and Johnson’s feel and understanding for playing safety is almost guaranteed to expand while playing alongside such a sage veteran.
Gerald Everett: The Rams drafted Everett in the second round two years ago as a raw, athletic, huge-upside playmaker who would be able to excel in Sean McVay’s offense. While there was hope he’d make an immediate impact, the more realistic expectation was that it might take a season or two for Everett to put it all together. Everett flashed at various points last season while accumulating 33 catches for 320 yards and three touchdowns and emerging as a solid blocker in the run game, and his vibe and play in OTAs indicate he’s ready to take a big-time step forward.
McVay’s offenses in Washington relied heavily on tight ends Jordan Reed and Vernon Davis, and his desire to diversify his Rams offense perfectly lines up with Everett’s development timeline. His improvements, coupled with McVay potentially featuring his tight ends more, could result in a huge breakout year for Everett.
Dante Fowler: This is a case of some late blooming, because Fowler never has quite put it all together after being the third pick overall in the 2015 draft. In fact, Fowler is with the Rams now because he wasn’t able to reach his potential during a three-and-a-half year run with the Jacksonville Jaguars. But sometimes a change of scenery does the trick, and the comfort level Fowler immediately found upon arriving in Los Angeles last October, playing in a defensive scheme that perfectly fit his skill set, resulted in a noticeable impact off the edge.
Fowler will benefit from spending an entire offseason and training camp with the Rams, setting up a potential breakthrough season as a productive pass-rusher. All the tools, setup and scheme fit are in place for Fowler to register a double-digit sack season and create all kinds of pressure. If so, the Rams’ defense has a chance to be next level.
