ARLINGTON, Texas -- A look at playing time and performance of each of the St. Louis Rams’ drafted rookies and a quick glimpse at the undrafted rookie class in Sunday’s 31-7 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
WR Tavon Austin, first round, No. 8 overall: For those waiting for a breakthrough big play from Austin, he nearly provided it with what would have been a scintillating punt return for a touchdown. Perhaps more impressive than the tacklers he was able to dodge was his ability to avoid all the penalty flags on the field. Those flags nullified the return. Otherwise, it was a quiet day for Austin who had 30 yards on six catches and a carry for 3 yards while playing 49 offensive snaps and four on special teams.
LB Alec Ogletree, first round, No. 30 overall: It was another busy day for Ogletree, who played 61 snaps on defense and five more on special teams. He finished with seven tackles in unofficial pressbox statistics but wasn’t as good as last week. It was no fault of his own but he came off the field when his helmet came off in the third quarter and Will Witherspoon wasn’t quick enough to replace him as Dallas tight end Gavin Escobar scored easily from 24 yards out.
S T.J. McDonald, third round, No. 71 overall: McDonald remains a constant in the defensive scheme, playing 61 snaps there and 11 more on special teams. It was an up-and-down day for McDonald, who had seven tackles -- one for loss -- and a pass defended. He also missed his share of tackles and appeared to have some communication mishaps.
WR Stedman Bailey, third round, No. 92 overall: After debuting on offense last week against Atlanta, Bailey reverted to a special-teams only role, playing 13 snaps there.
OL Barrett Jones, fourth round, No. 113 overall: Jones was a pregame inactive and did not play for the third consecutive game. He remains behind Tim Barnes as the team’s interior swingman right now.
CB Brandon McGee, fifth round, No. 149 overall: McGee did not play on defense but got nine plays on special teams. Two of those plays resulted in penalties, including a holding call that wiped out Austin’s return for a touchdown.
RB Zac Stacy, fifth round, No. 160 overall: Inactive for the second week in a row, though the Rams probably would’ve liked to have had him available after starter Daryl Richardson left the game when he aggravated a foot injury two snaps into the game.
Undrafted rookie roundup: With Stacy unavailable and Richardson banged up; Benny Cunningham was the Rams’ second most prominent back against Dallas. He played 22 offensive snaps and carried four times for 16 yards. He also logged eight plays on special teams. … Linebackers Daren Bates and Ray Ray Armstrong continue to be mainstays on special teams, playing 17 and 16 snaps there, respectively. Bates had a tackle and was generally good in coverage. Armstrong was the same though he drew a holding penalty.