The Los Angeles Rams are going to look like a completely different team in 2023 after all the roster movement they’ve experienced.
Out are numerous veterans and in comes a lot of young and inexperienced players looking to make a name for themselves. With so much new blood coming in, the Rams will need to lean on the mainstays they still have in order to make the transition as smooth as possible.
One of those key players is Van Jefferson, who came on strong toward the end of the 2022 season after dealing with multiple knee surgeries. Ahead of the 2023 campaign, Jefferson said he is feeling healthy during the offseason, via Stu Jackson of TheRams.com:
“It was tough, it was a tough process to go through,” Jefferson said. “But from the games I got back, got to experience a lot of things, got to do a lot of things. I think this offseason was just about me getting healthy. Obviously the knee injury, having two surgeries is tough, but like I said, I persevered through that, and now it’s just about me getting my balance back together, getting the strength in both legs, and being able to do the things I know I’m able to do. It’s been great being back and working with Grif (strength and conditioning associated John Griffin), (associate athletic trainer) Mark (Dydasco) and (Vice President, Sports Medicine and Performance) Reggie (Scott) and those guys, getting back to myself and I’m feeling pretty good.”
With Allen Robinson no longer on the team, Jefferson slots in as the most experienced receiver after Cooper Kupp. However, that designation doesn’t change his mindset coming to work:
“I mean, I just approach every day as it is, just trying to get better every day,” Jefferson said, when asked if being the most experienced receiver other than Cooper Kupp changes his approach. “Obviously we know Cooper’s the main guy in the room, but obviously everyone can learn from each other. So I just take on that role of whoever I can help, I can help, leading by example and just going from there.”
Receivers under Sean McVay often face a learning curve, so the Rams will need to rely even more heavily on Jefferson’s expertise to help lift the offense back to its normal levels of production. However, if Jefferson is able to build off the momentum he created at the end of last year then Los Angeles shouldn’t be in too terrible shape.
