Getty Terrell Burgess tries to pounce on the fumble during a 2016 Utah Utes rivalry game against BYU. Burgess shined in day one of 2021 Los Angeles Rams training camp, reporters said.
One of the questions facing the Los Angeles Rams secondary heading into training camp was how healthy would Terrell Burgess be? Especially following his devastating ankle injury he suffered during a career evening he was having against the Chicago Bears.
Well, looks like the ankle is fully healed: He was clearly the defensive highlight of opening training camp day in Irvine, California via Ram reporters.
Burgess, who felt his ankle bend awkwardly on that October 26 night in SoFi Stadium, had a strong early evening at UC Irvine’s Crawford Park with mentions of him making the dynamic plays that the Rams are hoping for from their safety unit.
What Did Burgess Do?
Before diving into the reports of the show he put on, Burgess clearly walked into UCI hungry and motivated by sending this tweet out on the day before camp kickoff.
Year 2 😁
But then the focus showed during team drills, as reported by Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic. The Rams beat reporter mentioned Burgess locating a short throw and disrupting it by turning it into a takeaway.
Terrell Burgess with the first pick in 11/11s – read a short pass over the top and jumped it.
Rams team reporter Stu Jackson typed a more detailed account of the former Utah Ute’s Wednesday in Orange County, with the pass he snatched intended for one of the offense’s prized newcomers.
Terrell Burgess having a great day today. Had a pick-six during team drills earlier, just now had a pass breakup on a Matthew Stafford pass over the middle intended for DeSean Jackson.
Jackson, in a subsequent tweet, revealed the quarterback who witnessed Burgess stealing the ball from the sky and turning it into six points for the Ram defense.
Then, Burgess showed his tracking skills down the field as tweeted by Rodrigue here.
Another long pass, aimed for Jackson over the top – this time Terrell Burgess gets vertical and stretches to tip it away. He told me he’d be 100% healthy by camp – seems about right. Great first day so far and it’s early yet.
And the quarterback who saw his attempt get swatted by the second-year safety? The newcomer and other major prized free agent pickup Matthew Stafford, as noted by ESPN Rams reporter Lindsey Thiry.
🐏 Rams training camp Day 1
🚫 No pads, shorts and t-shirts
🚀 Matthew Stafford to Desean Jackson deep TD
💰 Stafford perfect placement to Cooper Kupp on far sideline
🌟 S Terrell Burgess PBU on Stafford, INT Wolford and returned for six
🔜 Day 2 of practice tomorrow
Judging from the reports coming from the three media representatives who took in the sights and sounds of the kickoff to the 2021 Rams camp season, Burgess showed a sample of the skills that made him a ball-hawking, instinctive safety during his days in the Utes uniform.
New Rams DB Terrell Burgess is a savvy, high-effort slot/safety prospect with great instincts, man coverage skills and versatility.
He takes calculated risks and recovers quickly, can explode in a straight line.
Reports Leave Ram Fans Energized Online About Burgess
Before his season-ending injury, Burgess put together a career night in tackles against the Bears. He showed his ability to step in and blow plays up on short screen plays seen here, which he delivered before his ankle injury.
Terrell Burgess ‼️
@Utah_Football DBs showing out
But Rams Twitter unveiled a spectacular performance by the 5-foot-11, 202-pound defensive back, the kind of performance that left Ram fans excited about what he can contribute to the league’s best defense from 2020 this fall. One Rams fan tweeted this prediction.
Another Rams fan sounds like he believes the team won’t miss top defensive leader John Johnson III after all.
The Rams Brothers podcast was another who got energized about reading into how Burgess fared in Orange County on day one.
Terrell Burgess apparently wants to go to the pro-bowl this year. Exactly what we need from him.
Pro Football Focus fantasy football analyst Sosa Kremenjas tweeted out this response following Thiry’s Burgess tweet.
Finally, one fan who attended the practice mentioned how Burgess wasn’t even working with the first team defense as the two safety spots were claimed by Jordan Fuller and Taylor Rapp, a second and third-year safety, respectively.
AD/Ashawn/SJD/Dwill/Ramsey/Young/Kiser/Hollins/Floyd/Fuller/Rapp 1st team D
In conclusion, if today was the day Burgess kicked off his comeback tour, he’s clearly off to a great start through these reports and fan excitement.