The Los Angeles Rams’ offseason has been an interesting one as the organization has lost a number of key contributors over the last few years.
Last week, the Rams traded wide receiver Brandin Cooks to the Houston Texans to acquire a second-round pick in the upcoming 2020 NFL Draft. Cooks is another key player on the offense the Rams had let go of despite giving him an extension a couple of years ago, with Todd Gurley also being cut earlier this offseason. With Cooks and Gurley off the team, the Rams have lost a large chunk of offensive production.
That means that quarterback Jared Goff is no doubt the focal point of the offense now, and he believes the rest of his team will step up to replace that lost production.
In particular, Goff believes that wide receiver Josh Reynolds will flourish in 2020 in Cooks’ place, via Stu Jackson of TheRams.com:
“I feel so comfortable with Josh,” Goff said. “I’m excited to see him grow.”
Reynolds has consistently been the Rams go-to backup wide receiver. When any of their starting group would go down with injury, he was able to step up. Last season alone, Reynolds was able to pull in 326 receiving yards and one touchdown in less than 50% of offensive snaps.
As for running back, head coach Sean McVay has indicated that the Rams might try to split their running back duties among a group of guys as opposed to having one workhorse. As of now, that group only consists of Malcolm Brown and second-year player Darrell Henderson.
Brown has been the Rams longtime backup running back and has stepped up when called upon. Last year he had his best season to date, recording 255 rushing yards and five touchdowns. Goff knows that Brown will continue to contribute in the upcoming season:
“He’s always been a guy that’s stepped in when he’s needed to and contributed at a consistent level,” Goff said of Brown.
As for Henderson, he did not get many opportunities in his rookie season last year. McVay brought him in as a change of pace back but only ended up putting him in for 8% of offensive snaps. Still, Goff feels that his skills will help the team:
“Fast, athletic, can catch extremely well,” Goff said of Henderson. “He’s got the ability to be a top guy, (but) we’re going to have to wait and see.”
The Rams will need to do some work to figure out how to shape the offense for the rest of the offseason. Hopefully, the Rams as a team can make up for the production lost this offseason and get back to the postseason in 2020.
