Jared Goff is entering his fourth season in the NFL and for the first time as a professional, he’ll have the same cast of pass catchers that he had the year prior. After his rookie year in 2016, the Rams completely remade their receiving corps by drafting Cooper Kupp, trading for Sammy Watkins and signing Robert Woods.
Last offseason, they let Watkins walk in free agency and acquired Brandin Cooks from the Patriots. The results were phenomenal with Woods and Cooks both going over 1,000 yards receiving – a number Kupp was on pace to hit before his torn ACL.
Entering this season, Cooks, Kupp and Woods are all back in the mix, as is Josh Reynolds. That continuity is something Goff hasn’t experienced in the NFL but he definitely appreciates the idea of having the same group of receivers as he had last season.
“We’ve got a lot of guys who can contribute and it’s special,” Goff said on Rams Camp Live this weekend. “I think today felt like truly the first time we’ve literally picked up where we left off. I think the first year with this system was the first year, last year we added Brandin and then coming into this year, it’s been good. It’s been good keeping that chemistry and keeping those guys together.
“Those guys, and then Tyler [Higbee] and Gerald [Everett] and Todd [Gurley] and Malcolm [Brown] in the same group over and over again, it’s really good.”
It may not seem like a big deal, but continuity creates comfortability for quarterbacks. Goff no longer has to worry about building chemistry with a new receiver, or getting on the same page with someone who’s just learning the offense.
Woods, Kupp and Cooks all have a year of McVay’s system that they can learn from and build upon, which is no small thing. McVay’s scheme is a complex one, featuring a lot of pre-snap motion and misdirection. They’re all under contract for the next few years, too, so Goff shouldn’t expect much to change in the near future.
As long as Goff continues to progress the way he has the last two years, the Rams offense should take another step in the right direction this season.
