Terrance Ferguson among players impressing Rams coaches during OTAs

Rams rookie TE Terrance Ferguson is making a strong first impression

It wasn’t that long ago that a rookie wearing the number 18 jersey walked into Los Angeles Rams OTAs and impressed coaches. In 2017, Cooper Kupp, a wide receiver from Eastern Washington showed up to Rams OTAs as a rookie and showed why he was someone who couldn’t be kept off of the field.

Set to take over the Kupp role to an extent this season is rookie tight end Terrance Ferguson. The Rams rookie is wearing that same number 18 and has made an early impression during OTAs. Said head coach Sean McVay,

“Terrance has been good. We’ve seen a guy that’s been really attentive in meetings, got a really good feel…Just been really impressed with him..and looking forward to seeing him just continue to take it a step at a time.”

Earlier this week during practice, Ferguson made one of the plays of the day with a touchdown catch from quarterback Matthew Stafford. As detailed by the Rams’ Stu Jackson, Stafford connected with Ferguson on a back-shoulder throw in the corner of the end zone for a touchdown during red zone drills.

While Ferguson won’t necessarily be a featured part of the Rams passing game, there is some expectation that he will be involved in some capacity. It’s very possible that Ferguson does some of the Kupp things over the middle of the field and is used as the “F” in 12 personnel packages. The Rams have been primarily an 11 personnel team under McVay, but Ferguson should allow him to add variety to the offense. That will especially be the case in the red zone where the size of Ferguson should give the offense an advantage.

Added offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur on Ferguson,

“He has a good demeanor about himself. He’s got a cool, calm, kind of swaggy demeanor about himself. (He’s) fitting in real well with these guys and he just continuing to get better…You just want to see guys that are willing to get better in their fundamentals. And then when they are asked, maybe once a day, to go attack a defense end without the pads on, just to still go for it and he’s not shy.”

It’s still in the early stages of the offseason and players aren’t in pads just yet. As Stafford said, “Excited for him. Again, it’s all a development at this stage. We’re just trying to figure out who we’re going to be as a team.”

With that said, a lot of the coaches speak should be taken somewhat with a grain of salt. At the same time, Ferguson making plays and then getting talked about by the coaching staff is certainly a positive.