To put it plainly, the 2022 season was a disaster for the Los Angeles Rams on offense. It was the type of performance Rams fans haven’t seen from their team since Jeff Fisher was the head coach, bringing back memories of the dark, pre-2017 days.
Injuries played a major factor in the Rams’ struggles on offense, losing everyone from their top two left tackles to their Pro Bowl quarterback and All-Pro receiver.
Below, you’ll find a list of the seven highest-graded offensive players of 2022, excluding those who didn’t play at least 150 snaps, based on their Pro Football Focus grades.
1
WR Cooper Kupp
PFF grade: 86.3
Kupp only played 9 games this season, but he still managed to lead the Rams in receiving yards (812) and receptions (75). He was on pace for another 1,500-yard season before getting hurt, even with the offense struggling as badly as it was.
We got a glimpse of how bad this offense was without Kupp and it’s easy to see how valuable he is to the Rams. They don’t have a player who comes close to bringing the value or production that Kupp does at wide receiver.
2
RB Cam Akers
PFF grade: 80.7
What a turnaround it was for Akers in the final four weeks of the season. In the first 11 games, he had 376 yards rushing and 395 total yards from scrimmage with four touchdowns. In the last four games, he had 410 yards rushing and 508 total yards from scrimmage, scoring three touchdowns.
No one would have guessed he’d lead the team in scrimmage yards after he was nearly traded, but that’s exactly where he ended the year. He showed plenty of promise in the final quarter of the 2022 season.
3
RT Rob Havenstein
PFF grade: 73.2
Havenstein was clearly the Rams’ top offensive lineman, and not just because he was the only one to play all 17 games. He gave up 41 total pressures and six sacks, but for comparison, Bobby Evans gave up seven sacks in a third of the pass-blocking snaps.
It was by no means a perfect season for the Rams’ right tackle, but he still ranked 26th among all eligible tackles with an overall grade of 73.2.
4
WR Tutu Atwell
PFF grade: 70.9
Atwell finally got an opportunity in Year 2 and while he didn’t put up huge numbers, he still made a few big plays. He finished with 18 catches for 296 yards, an impressive average of 16.6 yards per catch with one touchdown. He also rushed for 34 yards and a touchdown on nine carries.
He needs to continue developing into an all-around receiver, but it was encouraging to see him take the necessary steps in his second season.
5
LT Ty Nsekhe
PFF grade: 70.6
Nsekhe only played 424 snaps for the Rams but he actually filled in pretty nicely at left tackle after Joe Noteboom and Alaric Jackson went down. He only allowed eight total pressures and three sacks in 243 pass-blocking snaps, doing a nice job on the edge after joining the team in-season.
He could’ve been better as a run blocker, though, earning a grade of just 67.5 in that department.
6
WR Van Jefferson
PFF grade: 68.4
The Rams really needed Jefferson in the second half of the season after Cooper Kupp, Allen Robinson and Ben Skowronek all went down, and he did a nice job as the primary receiver on offense. It just took him a little while to get going after returning from two knee surgeries.
He averaged 15.4 yards per catch and in the final two weeks, he had 138 yards on only six receptions, making big play after big play.
7
LT Joseph Noteboom
PFF grade: 67.0
Fans will probably be shocked to see Noteboom rank 7th on the Rams with an overall grade of 67.0 considering the way he played at left tackle before getting hurt. He gave up 23 pressures and five sacks in just six games (225 pass-blocking snaps), struggling badly in pass protection.
What helped bump up his grade was his run blocking, earning a grade of 71.8 in that area – the second-best on the team.
