In OTAs and minicamp, the Rams essentially had three receivers competing to be the starter alongside Cooper Kupp and Van Jefferson. Ben Skowronek, Tutu Atwell and Puka Nacua were the frontrunners at that spot, but the Rams made things interesting by signing Demarcus Robinson and Tyler Johnson before training camp.
Though neither of them is a marquee player or star receiver, they are proven players in this league – particularly in the case of Robinson.
We’re only a few days into training camp but one thing’s clear: No one should sleep on Robinson or Johnson as the Rams’ No. 3 receiver. There’s a chance one of the two will leapfrog Skowronek, Atwell and Nacua as a starter.
Both players are making plays in practice, which have caught the eye of Sean McVay. Last week, Robinson made an acrobatic catch down the sideline on a deep shot from Stetson Bennett. Then on Saturday, he made another great grab deep down the sideline, again from Bennett.
Stetson Bennett unfurled a deep pass down the right sideline to Demarcus Robinson, who made an impressive contested catch at the end that drew cheers from the crowd
— Stu Jackson (@StuJRams) July 30, 2023
Johnson had a good day on Saturday, too, according to those in attendance. He made this catch down the left side from Bennett and cut back inside to avoid the defender and pick up some additional yards.
Tyler Johnson #14 had a solid day today at camp. pic.twitter.com/PcgyAu9t1i
— Rams Tapes (@RamsTapes) July 30, 2023
That was in addition to a deep touchdown catch in the same practice.
Stetson Bennett deep touchdown pass down the sideline to Tyler Johnson
— Stu Jackson (@StuJRams) July 30, 2023
Here’s what McVay said about Robinson, which also featured some praise for Johnson and Jefferson on Saturday.
“He’s a guy that’s made plays in this league. He’s got confidence, he’s got great body control, he’s got great size, catch radius,” McVay said of Robinson. “You can see he’s getting comfortable with what we’re asking. But this is a guy that’s made a lot of plays. He’s got a resume that kind of speaks for itself in this league. I thought Tyler Johnson showed up as well. You notice Van Jefferson a lot. (Cooper Kupp) 10 is obviously going to make his plays and do his thing, but I was really encouraged to see DeMarcus Robinson, Tyler Johnson, and I thought Van made a lot of good things happen as well.”
McVay has said some very promising things about Atwell and Nacua, too, but it was encouraging to hear him speak highly of Robinson and Johnson. They could be more than just camp bodies and veterans on the roster this year.
