Rams TE Johnny Mundt hopes his grunt work pays off

THOUSAND OAKS — For the Rams the past 4 years, Tyler Higbee and Gerald Everett played astir of the downs and caught astir each of the passes thrown to choky ends, portion Johnny Mundt was constricted to a backup relation that emphasized his accomplishment arsenic a blocker.

Mundt’s enactment was grunt work.

But that mightiness beryllium astir to change, to the evident restitution of Mundt, an undrafted free-agent signing from Oregon who labored done a succession of one-year contracts and practice-squad spells to gain his changeable astatine glamor.

“I’m feeling large astir it,” helium said Thursday aft practice. “I’m assured successful myself. I’ll effort to spell marque immoderate plays.”

How galore plays Mundt, 26, tin marque arsenic a walk receiver volition assistance to find the prominence of choky ends successful the Rams discourtesy successful its archetypal play with Matthew Stafford astatine backmost and DeSean Jackson going long.

When the Rams mislaid Everett, who signed with the Seahawks arsenic a escaped cause successful March, archetypal successful enactment to regenerate him arsenic No. 2 choky extremity was Mundt, who had re-signed for 1 twelvemonth 3 days earlier.

One problem: Everett had caught 127 passes successful 4 years, 2nd to Higbee’s 173 among Rams choky ends. Mundt had caught nine.

Mundt had his moments. The biggest came successful October. With Higbee sidelined by a bruised hand, Mundt started on with Everett and pulled successful 3 passes from Jared Goff for 48 yards – 41 of them coming aft breaking tackles, 34 connected 1 catch-and-run – successful a 24-10 triumph implicit the Bears.

“I hoped to physique immoderate assurance successful the coaches that I could bash it that crippled setting,” Mundt said.

He didn’t drawback a walk the remainder of the season.

But it wasn’t mislaid connected Rams coaches that Mundt had bully hands, having caught 23 from Justin Herbert for 334 yards and 4 touchdowns arsenic an Oregon senior.

Rams violative coordinator Kevin O’Connell said Wednesday that helium and Stafford had conscionable been talking astir Mundt and “how overmuch of a vertical menace helium tin be.”

“We each saw past twelvemonth against Chicago, truly successful a week wherever we needed him, his play-making quality with the shot successful his hands, yards aft catch, antithetic ways we tin activate him successful our offense,” O’Connell said.

A healthier Higbee volition stay the Rams’ No. 1 choky end, a security-blanket receiver for Stafford.

At No. 2, Mundt is “ready to instrumentality connected a bigger role,” Rams manager Sean McVay said this week.

The different 2 choky ends, Brycen Hopkins, successful his 2nd year, and Jacob Harris, drafted successful the 4th circular from Central Florida with the thought of moving him from wide receiver to choky end, are “working to found themselves,” McVay said.

Mundt has been there.

“Every twelvemonth you effort to progress, and I judge that twelvemonth to year, adjacent week to week, I’ve ever improved,” Mundt said of his four-year wait. “It hasn’t been wholly linear.

“But I’m truly blessed with wherever I americium close now.”

HEKKER IS ‘THANKFUL’

Johnny Hekker was activated Tuesday aft 12 days connected the COVID-19 reserve list, during which helium watched connected TV arsenic young punter Corey Bojorquez had a immense preseason crippled against the Broncos.

“Yeah, I had immoderate conflicted feelings,” Hekker said. “When I saw his success, I was precise blessed for him. On the different hand, I saw a small spot of penning connected the wall. The squad mightiness spell with this feline and I could beryllium having to find a caller home.”

But the Rams approached Hekker astir restructuring what had been the NFL’s largest declaration for a punter, an statement that helped the squad support the four-time All-Pro and commercialized Bojorquez to the Packers astatine Tuesday’s roster deadline.

“It’s thing I’m decidedly precise thankful for. To beryllium appreciated and wanted present means a lot,” said Hekker, who enters his 10th play with the Rams.

“I’m coming retired present with a renewed consciousness of intent to beryllium a bully leader, to beryllium a bully punter, and to person a ton of amusive doing it.”

HEALTH DEPARTMENT

In expected moves, the Rams enactment tackle Tremayne Anchrum (knee) and extracurricular linebacker Ogbonnia Okoronkwo (shoulder/neck) connected injured reserve, meaning they’ll miss astatine slightest the archetypal 3 regular-season games.

Rookie extracurricular linebacker Chris Garrett went connected the COVID-19 reserve list.

Also connected IR are moving backs Xavier Jones (Achilles tendon) and Raymond Calais (foot), who had been waived with “injured” designations.