McVay, Bennett Praise Rams Rookie Davis Allen's 'Awesome' Debut

Los Angeles Rams rookie tight end Davis Allen starred in his preseason debut on Saturday night against the Las Vegas Raiders and earned considerable praise from coach Sean McVay, offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur and quarterback Stetson Bennett.

Throughout the preseason, much of the focus on the Los Angeles Rams offense has gone towards quarterback Stetson Bennett ... but in Saturday's 34-17 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, it was one of Bennett's weapons who stole the show.

The honor belongs to Rams rookie tight end Davis Allen, who had a game-high eight receptions and team-leading 53 yards in his professional debut, fresh off recovering from a hamstring injury that he battled during training camp and ultimately cost him the preseason opener.

As Rams coach Sean McVay noted, Allen caught all eight of his targets ... but there was much more that went into the former Clemson standout's strong showing that led to his new coach being "really pleased" with his performance.

"I thought he did a nice job being able to run some tough, hard-earned yards, especially when he’s catching some underneath throws and being able to fall forward, but I thought he competed well without the ball also," McVay said. "You can see he's got a big catch radius, good soft hands, so I was really pleased with him.

"It was an awesome debut for him.”

McVay noted that there was a "conscientious" effort from Rams passing game coordinator Zac Robinson to get Allen involved, but the nature to which he flourished was largely a natural occurrence.

This is something offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur echoed, noting that Bennett's progressions and the timing of the passes were vital in producing the volume of targets, but Allen's traits also played a key part.

LaFleur pointed out Allen's impressive catch on a seam route where Bennett fired a pass into a tight window with a safety in the vicinity, but the 6-6, 245-pound Allen won out with his size.

Perhaps most importantly, Allen impressed LaFleur with more than just his pass-catching ability, as Los Angeles' newest coordinator brought up his involvement in the run game impromptu.

And so, when combining the balanced skill set, large frame and highly productive first outing, there's lots of excitement surrounding Allen within the Rams' building ... starting with his evident traits.

“He has soft hands - when you watch him catch the ball, it's effortless," LaFleur said. "There are just certain guys that when that ball hits their gloves, it just sounds right and he has very confident hands, soft hands. He's obviously a big guy, but he's also got some range when that ball is not necessarily on his body - the flexibility. 

"Obviously, he's missed a considerable amount of time, but he's got something to him. He's got an edge to him too, which is nice.”

The notion of Allen's missed time is something McVay also brought up, as the Super Bowl-winning coach said his fifth-round draft pick has been "chomping at the bit" to get back on the field and compete.

As LaFleur said, Allen plays with an edge and brings a level of competitiveness to the table that's appreciated by the Rams' coaching staff.

Better yet, it's also highly valued by Bennett, who arrived alongside Allen feeling slighted but ready to compete ... and the two evidently have plenty of on-field chemistry.

“I thought he played outstanding, physical, tough," said Bennett. "He made some good catches on some tough balls to catch. He's a big body. He's friendly. I thought it was cool.”

The 22-year-old Allen proved to be a reliable target during his time at Clemson and consistently improved, finishing his senior year with career highs in receptions (39), receiving yards (443) and touchdowns (five) while establishing himself as a legitimate presence in both the running and passing game.

And so far, the Calhoun, Ga., native appears comfortable filling the same role in Los Angeles, albeit after a much smaller sample size. Regardless, McVay was glad to see success come so early - and feels there are many more positive aspects that can arise from the experience beyond just the box score productivity.

"He had a good look in his eye before the game," McVay said. "It's been good just to be able to get him out here and start to compete, getting comfortable coming out of his stance, hearing the play calls, breaking the huddle. I was happy for him to do as well as he did."

And while all those around Allen were overjoyed with his effort, nobody was happier than himself ... especially considering the rollercoaster of emotions the past few weeks comprised of, headlined by uncertainty surrounding his hamstring injury and the overwhelming itch to play at the sport's highest level.

"It felt great," Allen said, via theRams.com. "I was so happy. ... I had a lot of frustration this past 3-4 weeks, and as a rookie, you want to prove yourself. And not being able to do that has been frustrating and scary, just because, you know the situation. It felt good just to let my frustration go a little bit, cut it loose and try to have as much fun as I could."

And Allen, by all accounts, seemed to have plenty of fun on Saturday night, creating what can succinctly be described as an "awesome debut" and vindicating lesson of perseverance that should only help springboard greater success in games - and seasons - to come.

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You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @ByDanielFlick

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