5 Los Angeles Rams who should benefit the most from Mike Thomas suspension

With Mike Thomas missing the first four games of the 2017 NFL season due to suspension, here are five receivers for the Los Angeles Rams who should benefit from his absence.

Last week, the Los Angeles Rams received the unfortunate news regarding Mike Thomas, and how the second-year wideout will miss the first four games of the 2017 NFL season due to a suspension after violating the league’s policy for performance enhancing drugs. Even though Thomas failed to make much of an impact as a rookie in 2016 after only catching three passes, the Rams still had hope for the former sixth-round pick during his second season.

Thomas was already facing tough competition when it comes to earning one of the 53 roster spots on Los Angeles, and thanks to this recent news surrounding the suspension, the challenge just became that much more difficult. Jared Goff and the rest of the Rams’ offense may have struggled last year after only averaging 14 points per game, but the unit seems ready to turn things around with new head coach Sean McVay‘s system.

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As for whether Thomas will be part of that picture since there’s a good chance Los Angeles will consider the possibility of parting ways, there are plenty of other young wideouts who seem ready to take advantage of their teammate’s suspension to start the season. So without wasting any more time, here’s a look at the five receivers on the Rams who should benefit the most from the suspension of Thomas.

5. Bradley Marquez

Similar to Mike Thomas, the Los Angeles Rams expected more out of Bradley Marquez during the 2016 NFL season, only to end up being disappointed after catching just three passes while appearing in 14 games. What’s even more frustrating is Marquez only recorded 13 receptions as a rookie in 2015, bringing his grand total to 16 during his first two seasons in the league.

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Thanks to the selections of Cooper Kupp and Josh Reynolds in this year’s NFL Draft, Marquez finds himself in an even tougher position to earn playing time since he’s currently deep on the wide receiver depth chart heading into training camp. Obviously, Marquez deserves some benefit of the doubt for his disappointing numbers over the last two years when looking at all of the quarterback issues the Rams have been dealing with, but that excuse isn’t going to matter if Jared Goff lives up to the hype by finding success in Sean McVay‘s offense.

Marquez and Thomas are in the same position heading into training camp when it comes to proving they deserve a roster spot while hoping to turn an offense around that ranked near the bottom of the league last year. At least for Marquez, the wideout seems to have the advantage over Thomas at the moment from a production standpoint since he will be available for the first four games.

4. Pharoh Cooper

Former South Carolina standout Pharoh Cooper was selected in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Rams, and even though his numbers weren’t anything to brag about as a rookie (14 catches for 106 yards), the team hopes that will be different this time around. With Jared Goff’s development improving along with the fact he’s entering training camp after dealing with a shoulder injury at the start of the regular season last year, the Rams hope to see Cooper more involved in his second season.

At the moment, Cooper seems like he’s going to end up being the No. 5 or No. 6 receiver heading into training camp, which is still behind Mike Thomas. But with the suspension of Thomas, Cooper finds himself in position to move up to a larger role for the start of the season since Thomas won’t be eligible to play.

Los Angeles has plenty of talented young receivers who seem capable of emerging out of nowhere to make an impact in 2017, and there’s no reason why Cooper doesn’t deserve consideration to be part of that list. After limited action as a rookie, the Rams hope to see Cooper become the threat on offense they were hoping to see during his rookie campaign to help make life easier for Goff in the passing game.

3. Josh Reynolds

The Los Angeles Rams entered the 2017 NFL Draft with their eyes on numerous receivers who would make great additions for Jared Goff, and after using one of their third-round picks on Cooper Kupp, the team managed to land Josh Reynolds in the following round as well. Don’t be fooled over the fact that Reynolds dropped all the way to the fourth round, as the former Texas A&M star has always been an underdog throughout his football career, and there’s a good chance that will be the case during his first year with the Rams.

In three seasons with the Aggies, Reynolds managed to haul in 164 catches for 2,788 yards to go along with 30 touchdowns, which is one of the main reasons why Los Angeles felt he was too talented to let slip beyond No. 117. For a player his size, Reynolds has the opportunity to make an impact from the start for the Rams thanks to his ability to become a reliable deep threat for Goff in the passing game.

Reynolds was one of a handful number of receivers Los Angeles had their eyes set on heading into the draft, and if all goes according to plan, he could turn out to be a major sleeper as a rookie. And with Mike Thomas scheduled to miss the first month of the regular season, don’e be surprised to see Reynolds take advantage of the unexpected opportunity to see more action.

2. Nelson Spruce

One of the biggest surprises from last preseason was the emergence of Nelson Spruce against the Dallas Cowboys during that first game, and even though a knee injury prevented him from playing at all during the regular season, the wideout has looked quite impressive this offseason. The Rams knew rewarding Spruce with a roster spot despite only appearing in one preseason game was a risky move, but the coaching staff wouldn’t have done it if they didn’t feel confident in his ability to shine in the passing game.

Nobody expected to see Spruce finish that preseason game against Dallas with six catches for 51 yards to go along with a touchdown, but this surprise performance has Los Angeles even more excited over what could be in store for 2017 if he can manage to stay healthy. To see an undrafted rookie out of Colorado find himself in position to have a serious impact during his second season was quite the surprise for the Rams, and Spruce knows it’s up to him to take advantage of the opportunity.

If Jared Goff can figure out a way to make him productive in the slot, there’s a good chance Spruce will see his name shoot up the receiver depth chart for the Rams in no time once preseason officially gets underway. Los Angeles may have struggled in the wide receiver department last year, but thanks to young players with potential like Spruce, that hopefully won’t be an issue this upcoming season.

1. Cooper Kupp

After passing on Zay Jones in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft, the Los Angeles Rams took quite amount the heat for passing on the speedy wideout when considering how desperate they were for key additions to Jared Goff in the passing game. But after seeing what Cooper Kupp, who was selected in the third round, brings to the table, it’s safe to say passing on Jones is going to payoff big time.

Just how impressive was Kupp during the four years spent at Eastern Washington? Well, let’s just say any receiver who catches 428 passes for 6,464 receiving yards to go along with 73 touchdowns like Kupp did deserves heavy praise for making an effective difference on offense. Believe it or not, there are many who believe Kupp has what it takes to emerge as one of the top rookie receivers from the 2017 draft class, which would be amazing for Los Angeles.

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The bar was already set high for Kupp when seeing the level of impact made at Eastern Washington, and thanks to the poor decision by Mike Thomas, Goff may rely on his rookie teammate even more. As crazy as it sounds, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Kupp ended up working his way to being the No. 1 target for Goff in the Rams’ offense when it’s all said and done.