Getty Rams safety Taylor Rapp gets underneath Bucs RB Giovani Bernard during the Rams' 34-24 home win in Week 3.
The Los Angeles Rams have a safety tied for the team lead in solo tackles during their 3-0 start.
Yet, curiously, Taylor Rapp was labeled as a “weak link” by one Bleacher Report analyst, who also suggested he “should be benched immediately.”
In a Wednesday, September 29 article called “1 Player Every NFL Team Must Bench Immediately,” B/R writer Alex Kay labeled the third-year safety as the one who should hit the bench.
The same Rapp who has put together the following numbers: 23 total tackles (ties him for second with fellow safety Jordan Fuller), 0.5 sacks (the only safety in the sack category), one pass deflection and finally, 17 solo tackles (puts him with the team-lead alongside Kenny Young and Darious Williams).
What B/R Said About Rapp
So Kay and B/R aren’t going off of Rapp’s stats to solidify their case of keeping him in the starting lineup. Instead, they zeroed in on his Pro Football Focus grade.
Here’s what Kay wrote:
“The strength of the Los Angeles Rams has been in their defense these last few seasons. The unit has some of the league’s best players on that side of the ball and ranked No. 1 last year, but it still has weak links.
One of those is free safety Taylor Rapp. He was thrust into the starting lineup this year, replacing John Johnson III after the star signed with the Browns in the offseason.
Rapp, a second-round pick in 2019, hasn’t performed at a high level. He’s earned a cumulative 56.2 PFF grade after recording 23 tackles, one QB hit and one pass deflection while playing 100 percent of the team’s defensive snaps.
Considering that the Rams have an intriguing second-year safety in Terrell Burgess waiting in the wings, Rapp must play better or risk losing playing time to his backup.”
Still a perplexing argument as to why Rapp should be sitting on the silver.
Sure, Rapp may have a low PFF grade. But here’s what’s also in his PFF profile that wasn’t mentioned:
- Rapp is yet to surrender a touchdown pass his side through three games, according to the analytical site.
- The safety has only missed three tackles (one each game) out of 207 total defensive snaps he’s taken.
- Rapp has been targeted 15 times, surrendering 11 catches for 155 yards. But in the 34-24 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Rob Gronkowski was targeted twice up Rapp’s side. The All-Pro TE didn’t register a single reception with the Ram as the closest defender.
Tampa Bay seems to be targeting Taylor Rapp on gotta have it downs. Just missed a huge play to Gronk on a corner route.
If anything, Rapp has seen a yardage increase in coverage, as he’s gone from surrendering 20 yards versus Chicago, then 50 yards in the road win at Indianapolis, all the way to allowing five catches for 85 yards in the win over the Bucs. But he’s only given up two plays beyond 20 yards in 145 coverage plays.
And, near the 8:20 mark of this highlight video, Rapp goes for the ankles in this touchdown-saving stop against T.B.
Not the First Time B/R Mentioned Rapp
Have to ask: Does B/R have something against the 23-year-old safety? It’s not the first time the national outlet has written Rapp’s name negatively.
Back on August 19, B/R writer Brad Gagnon listed Rapp’s name as a potential trade offer for Philadelphia Eagles left tackle Andre Dillard. The deal never went through.
Still, the Rams are winning with Rapp in the starting lineup and the 6-foot, 208-pounder stepping up to disrupt plays near the line of scrimmage. He’s proven to be a sure tackler and he plays on a defense where, realistically, he’s not asked to do everything since this unit has All-Pros Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey, plus has Sebastian Joseph-Day and Leonard Floyd putting together a fast start in the front seven.