3 years ago
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After 1 past awesome audition for a spot connected the Rams’ roster, Corey Bojorquez mightiness person his large near ft successful the door.
Bojorquez made punts the astir memorable plays of the Rams’ 17-12 nonaccomplishment to the Broncos successful the preseason finale Saturday night, opening erstwhile helium blasted a shot 80 yards done the airy aerial successful Denver for what went officially arsenic a 67-kick.
One bid aft that, the Bellflower autochthonal from Mayfair High successful Lakewood and Cerritos College successful Norwalk finessed a 48-yard punt to the Broncos’ 1-yard line, wherever it was downed by the Rams.
Later, Bojorquez combined powerfulness and touch, spinning a 70-yarder that bounced implicit the near sideline astatine the Broncos’ 1.
Did the 55.4-yard-a-punt show triumph Bojorquez the Rams’ punter occupation implicit four-time All-Pro Johnny Hekker, who was astatine location successful L.A. starting his 2nd week connected the COVID-19 reserve list?
The determination connected the Rams’ astir salient remaining first-unit presumption conflict volition travel successful the adjacent mates of days erstwhile the Rams chopped their roster from its existent 80 to the regular-season 53 successful clip for Tuesday’s deadline.
But suffice it to accidental Bojorquez, the 24-year-old signed arsenic a escaped cause successful the offseason, is 1 of the Rams who helped their causes successful the last preseason game.
Others were wide receiver Tutu Atwell, who had six catches; wide receiver Jeremiah Haydel, who had a 40-yard kickoff return; antiaircraft lineman Michael Hoecht, who forced and recovered a fumble, and linebacker Christian Rozeboom, who had an interception of a walk tipped by linebacker Terrell Lewis.
Bryce Perkins had different poised, originative crippled going each the mode astatine quarterback, and the Rams’ No. 3 backmost could extremity up connected the signifier squad oregon with different squad aft he’s risked connected waivers.
The nonaccomplishment to the Broncos (3-0) near the Rams (0-3) with their archetypal winless preseason since they went 0-4 successful 2015, their past play successful St. Louis.
But winning wasn’t the entity of this game, the past accidental for players trying to triumph roster spots and salient roles.
Bojorquez’s 67-yarder came with the Rams backed up successful the 2nd quarter. Bojorquez enactment his ft to the shot wrong the Rams 5, and it carried implicit Broncos returner Kendall Hinton to the Denver 15. It bounced backward earlier being downed by L.A.’s Chris Garrett.
“I cognize this, helium is genetically talented erstwhile helium pulls that operator out,” Rams wide manager Les Snead said connected the TV broadcast, likening the agelong punt to a thrust connected a par-5 and the archetypal punt to the 1 arsenic an 8-iron.
One keenly funny Rams decision-maker who wasn’t watching Bojorquez successful idiosyncratic was special-teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis, who didn’t question with the squad aft the 56-year-old manager entered the league’s COVID-19 protocol.
Rams manager Sean McVay said astatine the commencement of grooming campy successful precocious July that “close to 100%” of the roster, and each of the staff, was afloat vaccinated against COVID-19.
Since then, rookie wide receiver Tutu Atwell, Hekker and Bojorquez, tight-ends manager Kevin Carberry and present DeCamillis person missed games oregon practices aft investigating affirmative for coronavirus oregon having adjacent interaction with idiosyncratic who did.
Hekker’s aboriginal has been up successful the aerial since the NFL’s highest-paid punter averaged a career-low 45.6 yards a punt successful his ninth Rams season. And surely since the squad signed Bojorquez, fto spell by the Bills aft averaging a league-leading 50.8 yards successful 2020. Snead and McVay person offered small assurance to Hekker publicly.
NFL teams indispensable chopped rosters down to 53 for the regular play by Tuesday astatine 1 p.m. Pacific time, but the Rams are expected to marque cuts Sunday and Monday.
NOTES
Rams antiaircraft tackle Aaron Donald came successful No. 2 connected the NFL’s yearly apical 100 database voted by the league’s players, it was announced Saturday. After being No. 1 connected the database successful 2019 and No. 3 successful 2020, and Defensive Player of the Year for the 3rd clip successful 4 years past season, the antiaircraft tackle was out-voted lone by Chiefs backmost Patrick Mahomes. Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey was voted No. 13 successful the rankings.
Kevin Modesti reported from Los Angeles.
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