Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp are obviously going to be the Rams’ top two receivers again this season, maintaining their roles as starters on offense. Who replaces Josh Reynolds as the No. 3 receiver is still a mystery, however.
Van Jefferson was the clear-cut favorite to assume that role before the Rams signed DeSean Jackson and drafted Tutu Atwell, but their arrivals complicate things for the second-year receiver out of Florida.
He’s still a player the Rams have a lot of confidence in and will undoubtedly have a role this season, and it could very well be as the No. 3 receiver despite Jackson’s stellar play in camp. Jeremy Fowler of ESPN visited Rams camp and shared notes from what he learned, highlighting Jefferson’s play and his projected role on offense.
Van Jefferson has a good chance to man the No. 3 receiver spot despite the arrival of DeSean Jackson. He has had a really strong camp. Jackson will have his packages, but the Rams won’t overload his snaps, and Jefferson could often to be the first to spell Kupp and Woods out of two-receiver sets. At least that’s the way it’s trending.
Nothing terribly surprising here, considering Jefferson and Jackson are listed as co-starters at WR3 on the Rams’ first unofficial depth chart. Both played well in camp and should get plenty of opportunities offensively to make plays in the passing game.
Keeping Jackson fresh will be a priority, of course, given his injury history. That could lead to Jefferson getting more snaps than the veteran.
Fowler also noted that the Rams “appear all-in on Darrell Henderson Jr. as the lead running back,” which isn’t surprising either. He’s being treated like RB1 by Sean McVay, sitting out the preseason and getting first-team reps in practice.
But Fowler wrote, “remember the name Jake Funk” because the Rams are “very happy with his progress.” Funk will make his preseason debut Saturday against the Chargers, which will give fans a sense of his talent.
