The Los Angeles Rams offense looked nothing like itself during the 2022 season and that can be attributed to a number of factors.
The primary reason the Rams offense never took off was due to injuries, especially to their stars in Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp. Outside of the tandem, though, Los Angeles suffered numerous injuries to their offensive line as well as complementary pieces like Allen Robinson. By the end of the season, the Rams were trotting out third and fourth-stringers as starters, a recipe for disaster in what ended up being a lost season.
L.A. also struggled to really integrate all the new pieces they brought into the year. The Rams had been fortunate enough to keep together the same core group of players that organically led to chemistry both on and off the field, but the offseason following Super Bowl LVI led to plenty of change on the roster.
For example, Los Angeles made the difficult decision to trade away Robert Woods to the Tennessee Titans in an effort to clear up cap space. However, Woods was recently released by the Titans and Cooper Kupp didn’t waste any time trying to recruit his former teammate back home, via his Twitter account:
🙋🏼♂️ https://t.co/Pm6SVGl1Rx
— Cooper Kupp (@CooperKupp) February 22, 2023
Kupp and Woods were teammates for five years together and were immediately productive in head coach Sean McVay’s offensive scheme. Both receivers were dependable targets who also didn’t mind doing the dirty work like blocking, embodying the unselfish team culture that Los Angeles prides itself on.
Unfortunately, the tandem never truly got to show off their potential as one of them was sidelined during the Rams’ two Super Bowl runs. Woods was unable to play in Super Bowl LVI due to a torn ACL, though Kupp more than made up his former teammate en route to being named Super Bowl LVI MVP.
Adding Woods would be a delight as he was a fan favorite during his time in L.A., though the team already has several receiving options behind Kupp. Robinson is expected to be fully healthy for the 2023 campaign, while Tutu Atwell, Van Jefferson and Ben Skowronek were able to use the final months of last season developing.
That’s not to say that a reunion is impossible, but the Rams are going to be careful with the pieces they add as they look to make it back to the postseason. Despite a lackluster season last year, Woods would be a worthwhile addition for any team and it’ll be interesting to see where he lands.
