One area in which the Los Angeles Rams struggled last season was at the wide receiver position. The team had little depth behind star wide receiver Cooper Kupp and when he went down to injury, those issues were exacerbated.
The Rams have brought in some depth at the position this offseason with solid veterans in DeMarcus Robinson and Tyler Johnson joining the team. Head coach Sean McVay recently spoke on why the Rams chose to sign them.
“Really, there’s been some things where, to be able to get through practice, and then both those guys are NFL receivers that have game experience,” McVay said. “Tyler came in a couple weeks ago. Can’t say enough about the job that he’s done, but also (Wide Receivers Coach) Eric Yarber, (Pass Game Specialist) Jake Peetz and (Offensive Assistant) KJ Black getting him up to speed quickly.
“He’s a guy that you can see is getting more comfortable. The game makes sense to him, has good aggressive hands, nice ability to be able to work edges. And then you look at Demarcus, a guy that’s had a lot of production. Played in Kansas City, then he did a great job having almost 500 (receiving yards) in Baltimore last year. (He’s) a guy that can do a lot of different things.
McVay would continue on, noting that just getting good solid receivers in camp while Kupp and others recover from injury is important.
“And so, both of those guys have played in games and to be able to get some of that depth…we haven’t had (WR) Cooper (Kupp) out practicing in these competitive settings, so when we get back to camp, he’ll be ready to go,” McVay added. “There’s been some days that we’ve limited (WR) Van’s (Jefferson) workload and then (WR) Ben (Skowronek) hasn’t been out here, so that kind of was a big catalyst for why we ended up doing it. But those guys are going to really push, and I like what I’ve seen from them so far.”
Robinson has a bit more experience and success so far in his NFL career catching multiple touchdowns in each of the past five seasons. Johnson didn’t record a catch last season with the Houston Texans, but showed some flashes in his first two seasons in Tampa Bay.
Overall, the Rams are looking for improvements at the position both from returning players and new additions and McVay likes the outlook once everyone gets back on the field.
“I think I feel better about it. It’ll be good to be able to get Cooper back rolling,” McVay added. “I think guys have all taken steps in the right direction. I think Van’s had a really good offseason. I think (WR) Tutu Atwell has been outstanding. He’s been a real bright spot, very comfortable. You can see just the comfort in playing a lot of snaps last year, gaining some confidence and then being able to move around. That’ll be really valuable.
“I love what I’ve seen from (WR) Puka Nacua. (WR) Lance McCutcheon has shown really well and then the guys Tyler and Demarcus made some plays out here today. He was kind of getting help getting lined up by the coaches, but I do feel good about that. I’ve seen really good bright spots from a lot of the skill positions in general offensively.”
The Rams lost some big names this offseason, but there is still talent on the roster and plenty of opportunity for some players to make a big impact this year.
