Life without Cooper Kupp was far from smooth for the Los Angeles Rams to finish the 2022 campaign and the expectation was for the offense to look out of sorts to begin this season sans the All-Pro wideout. Contrary to what everyone thought, Matthew Stafford and the young receivers — along with Sean McVay — have done more than just keep the offense afloat with Kupp on injured reserve.
For starters, Puka Nacua has put together a historic start to his rookie season and Tutu Atwell has evolved into a legitimate NFL wide receiver. At the same time, Van Jefferson has been quiet through the first two weeks despite the assumption he’d see an expanded role.
Buy Rams TicketsIn two games for the Rams this season, Jefferson has totaled five catches for 33 yards on nine targets. The former second-round pick has also had drop issues early in the season, which hasn’t helped him look any better than his numbers show.
With Nacua filling the role of Stafford’s go-to target through the air, and Atwell creating plays in the intermediate and vertical portions of the field, Jefferson saw his snap share go from 93 percent in Week 1 to 82 percent in Week 2. Even Ben Skowronek finished with more receiving yards (10) than Jefferson on just one target in Sunday’s loss to the 49ers.
Some might’ve assumed that Nacua would see fewer snaps when Kupp returns because he’s playing a similar role to Cooper’s during his absence. But with Nacua doing impressive things as a rookie, there’s no way McVay can take him off of the field right now.
Also, Atwell is playing a Tyreek-Hill-lite role in the Rams’ offense as he’s been used in quick speed motions to give him easy releases and mismatches in the secondary. So where does that leave Jefferson when Kupp makes his awaited return to the offense?
The Rams are already trending toward being a team that could come close to leading the league in pass attempts with a vintage Stafford operating the offense despite Kupp being inactive. Of the wide receivers on the Rams, Jefferson is the one who is most in danger of losing snaps when Kupp is reinserted into the offense because of his current role.
