Wesley Bailey didn’t wait around to make his presence felt.
With Myles Garrett sidelined and an opening available in the Rams’ rotation, the undrafted rookie got his defensive debut Monday against the Giants and turned it into a calling card. Of all the pass rushers Los Angeles rolled out, it was Bailey who delivered the team’s first sack of the season.
The play looked exactly like the kind of moment the Rams had in mind when they gave him a chance. At 6-foot-5, Bailey used his length and strength to close in on Giants quarterback Jameis Winston as Winston tried to slip away from the pocket late in the second quarter. Bailey didn’t just get to him - he swallowed him up.
Winston has never been known as a burner, but Bailey’s reach made that escape route look hopeless. In only 19 defensive snaps, the rookie showed enough to get Rams fans talking.
Garrett is expected to be out through Week 5 at least, which should mean more chances for Bailey to stay in the mix. His size on the edge can help against the run and the pass, and he has the athleticism to chase mobile quarterbacks, something that matters with Bo Nix, Jalen Hurts, and Josh Allen coming up next for Los Angeles.
The Rams, though, opened the Giants game with a different wrinkle. Defensive coordinator Chris Shula started with a four-linemen front, using Byron Young as the lone edge rusher alongside Aaron Donald, Kobie Turner, Braden Fiske, and Poona Ford. If that look sticks, it could trim opportunities for edge players like Bailey.
Even so, Bailey’s snap count told its own story. He played 19 defensive snaps to veteran Desjuan Johnson’s 10, which suggests the Rams may already see him as the next man up behind Young and Josaiah Stewart. That’s a strong sign for a rookie who is still just getting his feet under him.
The Rams also expanded Bailey’s role on special teams, where he went from two plays to nine. That kind of downhill violence can matter there too, even if his defensive workload doesn’t spike right away.
His rise has been quick. Bailey transferred from Rutgers to Louisville and put together a strong senior season, with athletic traits that stood out. And despite going undrafted, he won a roster spot over seventh-round nose tackle Tim Keenan III.
The Rams usually carry four edge rushers, not five. Bailey was the fifth. After Monday, he looks like more than just a number.
In Other News...
Poona Ford Just Gave Rams Fans Real Hope Up Front
Poona Fords Rams debut in Week 1 did not give anyone much reason to believe the front would hold up the way the team needed, but his response in Week 2 looked a lot closer to the player Los Angeles was counting on. Working next to Aaron Donald, Ford helped steady the middle of the line and gave the Rams a sturdier answer against the run, something that has been a point of emphasis for a defense trying to establish itself early.
Against the Giants, the improvement showed up in the most direct way possible: New York was limited to 52 rushing yards on 21 carries. For a Rams defense that has leaned on disruptive interior play in the past, Fords ability to occupy space, hold his ground and make life harder between the tackles matters well beyond one afternoon, because the front now has a more believable path to consistency than it did seven days earlier. [Read more 🡒]
Rams Just Made A Move To Fix A Growing Special Teams Problem
The Rams made a small but telling roster move this week, signing safety Maximus Pulley off the Eagles practice squad as they try to steady a special teams unit that has become an issue. Pulley brings a background built around that phase of the game, and he already got a look on Philadelphias active roster earlier this season before landing in Los Angeles.
To make room, the Rams placed running back Ronnie Rivers on injured reserve, opening the door for a player who could be used mostly on coverage units and other special teams work. It is the kind of adjustment teams make when they want to clean up one part of the roster without overhauling everything, and it suggests the Rams are taking the problem seriously as they search for a more reliable answer. [Read more 🡒]
Davante Adams Sparked A Viral Debate Rams Fans Didnt See Coming
Davante Adams has been a familiar name around the Rams orbit since the wideouts endorsement work with Taco Bell turned into one of those oddly memorable football-adjacent marketing moments. The campaign even got a pop-up called Davantes House at SoFi Stadium, and Adams has talked about it in media appearances, helping fuel the kind of online chatter that can take on a life of its own around a star player.
The latest debate, though, came from fans running with the joke a little too far and treating the branding like it meant Adams literally had a Taco Bell in his home. He does not, of course, and the confusion has only added another layer to a story that already had Rams supporters paying attention, especially with Adams also drawing notice for his praise of Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie in a recent interview. [Read more 🡒]