One of the biggest strengths for the Los Angeles Rams going into the 2019 NFL season is the tremendous depth in their receiving corps thanks to the emergence of Josh Reynolds last year.
The Rams already boast a quality trio of wideouts in Brandin Cooks, Robert Woods, and Cooper Kupp, however, injuries opened up more opportunities for Reynolds to prove himself in the 2018 campaign. As a result, he came into training camp and the preseason looking to pick up where he left off.
Reynolds has earned plenty of praise for his development as of late. It seems it has not gone unnoticed by head coach Sean McVay.
According to Stu Jackson of the team’s official website, McVay feels he has become much more well-rounded heading into the regular season:
“I think he’s just getting better in all phases.”
Although Reynolds is slated to resume the duties of a No. 4 wideout, Mcvay added that is still treating him as if he were a starter:
Although Reynolds is not listed as a starter on the Rams’ unofficial depth chart, McVay said the team still views him as one and will continue to play him a lot in 2019.
The Rams selected Reynolds in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft after showing plenty of promise as a deep threat coming out of Texas A&M. After a quiet rookie season, he finally managed to follow through on that promise as one of the more pleasant surprises of the 2018 campaign.
The loss of Kupp to a torn ACL in Week 10 left a notable void in the passing game for Los Angeles. Fortunately, Reynolds did a solid job of helping to fill the void after finishing the season with 29 receptions for 402 yards and five touchdowns.
Unlike the other starting wideouts, Reynold’s has a large frame that makes him a much bigger target for Jared Goff in the passing game. His blend of size and speed could provide the offense with yet another explosive element to work with on offense moving forward.
This could be why McVay is so adamant about referring to the 26-year-old as the fourth starting wideout on the depth chart heading into the regular season. Given his affinity for utilizing multiple personnel groups on offense, there may very well be a few instances where Reynolds does see the first snaps of a game.
McVay’s praise indicated that he could be poised for a significant increase in targets in 2019.
