Over this past offseason I was one of the most vocal critics of the Los Angeles Rams’ approach to building their offense for 2024.
In May I wrote that I was uninspired by LA’s free agent signings and draft selections on the offensive side of the ball:
While the team’s improbable mid-season turnaround to return to the playoffs last year was fun to watch, I’m not sure that we should set the bar at the postseason for the 2024 version of the Rams.
...the offense is counting on aging players with concerning injury histories to fill some of the most valuable roles on offense. Matthew Stafford will be age 36 for the 2024 season and has battled elbow, back, hand, and head injuries over his time in Los Angeles. Cooper Kupp has missed 13 games over the last two years and didn’t look much like his usual self when he was on the field last year. Rob Havenstein has been reliable other than an injury-plagued 2019, but he’s now 31 and the only Ram that is still on the roster from the team’s days in St. Louis. Tyler Higbee will likely miss the start of the regular season with the ACL injury he suffered in last year’s playoff game versus the Detroit Lions.
A month later I still wasn’t able to shake the feeling that the Rams were missing firepower on offense. Puka Nacua’s rookie season was special and historic, though he seemed primed for regression because of how unique his breakout was and the fact he fell in the NFL Draft with injury concerns. It was smart for LA to bring back Demarcus Robinson on a one-year deal, but he’s better served as WR#4 and a depth piece instead of a fixture in the starting lineup. The Rams targeted players like Mike Evans and Brock Bowers in pursuit of a more potent passing attack.
Instead, for the next four weeks we will see a receiving corps of Kupp, Robinson, and probably Tyler Johnson or Jordan Whittington. That simply isn’t good enough to keep a team with a injury-riddled offensive line and maturing defense afloat:
One of the major question marks surrounding this team is whether they did enough this offseason to reinforce the receiver position and add firepower to an already good to great offense. The Rams still may be in need of a bonafide third receiver behind Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp.
Before you say anything, yes, it was a wise move to bring back veteran Demarcus Robinson on a one-year $5M contract. He played an important role late in the season and his production over the final stretch is better than his stats suggest for the year overall. Robinson will compete and likely split time with fourth-year wideout Tutu Atwell as LA’s third receiving option. But both players haven’t proven over their respective careers that they deserve to be part of a starting lineup. In order to be one of the best offenses in football, there’s a possibility the Rams instead needed a more imposing threat behind Nacua and Kupp.
Not having Kupp (or Nacua) would also make Robinson and Atwell starters in 11 personnel. We’ve already talked about those players being potentially miscast as the third receiver, but they would now because the two of the top three receiving options on the team.
My worst fear with the Rams offense is being realized
Nacua will miss the next four games for Los Angeles. Over that span the Rams will face the following list of pass catchers. The Rams corps of Kupp, Robinson, Whittington, Johnson, and Tutu Atwell is easily the fifth best in comparison. LA’s investment along the interior of the offensive line was met with wide praise this offseason, but they are unlikely to see a positive return in the short-term while a dynamic playmaker would almost certainly move the needle more at this point. At first I was uninspired by Los Angeles’ offseason moves, and now I’m concerned that they won’t be able to stay afloat over the next month and are in jeopardy of the season being effectively over before it even really began.
While the best thing the Rams could do would be to lean into the run game, that may prove easier said than done considering the rash of injuries the team is dealing with up front. In order to be competitive over the next month, the team needs to play complementary football and not put too much pressure on a maturing defense in a post Aaron Donald world.
Arizona Cardinals
Marvin Harrison, Jr.
Michael Wilson
Trey McBride
Greg Dortch
Zay Jones (suspended five games)
San Francisco 49ers
Brandon Aiyuk
Deebo Samuel
George Kittle
Ricky Pearsall (recovering from shooting)
Chicago Bears
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Rome Odunze
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Cole Kmet
Gerald Everett
Green Bay Packers
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Tucker Kraft
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