One of the more promising developments for the Los Angeles Rams this season has been the play of rookie outside linebacker Byron Young. A third round pick out of Tennessee, Young has quickly made an impact for the Rams and leads the team in sacks and quarterback hits after three weeks.
The young pass rusher is fast and explosive and is living in the backfield so far this year. He also has a ton of personality and is genuinely excited to be on the football field every week. And that showed itself in the Rams’ Monday night contest against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Young was mic’d up during the contest and his energy and excitement was on full display as he showed a ton of personality and what the Rams love about him on this night, via Rams YouTube:
Young’s energy is infectious and it is clear that he loves playing the game of football. Everything from his grunts while rushing the quarterback, to his conversations with his defensive teammates, and cheering on the offense and letting them know the defense has their back was extremely engaging to witness.
The key now for Young will be continuing his level of play as he is off to a strong start in his rookie season. Young has totaled at least a half a sack in all three games and has two total for the season to lead the team. Additionally, his seven QB hits is tied for the fourth most in the NFL trailing only T.J. Watt, Myles Garrett and Micah Parsons, arguably the three best defensive linemen in the entire league.
Between Young, wide receiver Puka Nacua and offensive lineman Steve Avila, the Rams seem to have found some serious talent in the draft and they are already making a huge impact on this team.
Cooper Kupp ramping up workload, but Rams won’t rush him back
One player who always has a major impact on the success of the Rams is receiver Cooper Kupp, who was placed on injured reserve due to an ongoing hamstring issues and will miss at least the first four games of the season. Kupp will be eligible to return next week and he is currently ramping things up, but the Rams remain cautious.
Sean McVay noted that Kupp is progressing well, but the Rams are focused on him returning to performance as opposed to just being back on the field. When he is back, McVay and the Rams want Kupp to be at the level he was prior and will be patient until that is the case.