A lot went into the Los Angeles Rams emerging as the team to sign Odell Beckham Jr. when he cleared waivers. Members of the Rams lobbied for Beckham to join the team, and Beckham admitted that the support he got from certain players helped lead him to choose Los Angeles.
Beckham is coming from a situation with the Cleveland Browns where he had an inconsistent role in a run-heavy offense. While Beckham could be thrust into a larger role with the Rams, Peter King of NBC Sports reported that Sean McVay informed Beckham that Matthew Stafford isn’t going to force the ball to him.
I’m told that when McVay was recruiting him, he was upfront with Beckham about his opportunities. McVay told him he couldn’t guarantee him X number of targets per game from Matthew Stafford. “But I can tell you if you’re open, Matthew will get you the ball,” McVay said.
Of course, that sentiment could change with Woods going down with a season-ending knee injury. However, the Rams still have multiple guys that can contribute on offense in Cooper Kupp, Van Jefferson, Tyler Higbee, and Darrell Henderson Jr.
Kupp leads the team with a massive 32.91% target share this season. I don’t envision that changing much, even with the arrival of Beckham in the offense.
Stafford has built a phenomenal rapport with Kupp, which has allowed Kupp to put together a historic start to the season. That being said, Stafford put the honus on himself to make sure that Beckham is involved in the offense.
Even though it seems like it with Kupp at times, McVay has never had an offense that is centered around forcing the ball to one guy. And even with Beckham being a player that is effective with the ball in his hands, McVay wants the former Pro Bowl wideout to realize that his targets will come when they are available.
