LA Rams: 3 second-year players as potential Pro Bowlers

Wide receiver

The third and final player on this list is wide receiver, Van Jefferson. Of course, he may have the toughest sled to pull, but he also has quite a batch of factors that could propel him into the Pro Bowl discussion this year. The 2020 cutoff appears to be in the 1400 yards and six touchdown neighborhood. But if Van Jefferson has any hope to do more this year, he will need to outpace that rate over the first half of the season.

The question comes down to, can he do that? He could, and here’s why:

The LA Rams have not hidden the fact that the team wants to be more explosive on offense. The available information about the team so far is that the Rams want to push the ball deep downfield, and the addition of starting quarterback Matthew Stafford unlocks that 20+ yard pass play. The only question is, who is the receiver best positioned to be on the other end of those deep passes?

The obvious answer is DeSean Jackson, but he won’t be up for playing 100 percent of the offensive snaps. The next obvious player is rookie Tutu Atwell. But like Jackson, he is not up to playing a lion’s share of the offensive snaps. However, a player like Van Jefferson not only can slide into any of the three receiver positions, but he can run short, intermediate, and deep routes equally adept. And it’s right in HC Sean McVay’s wheelhouse to put Jefferson and Jackson on the field at the same time, run Jackson on a short crossing route and send Jefferson flying downfield. Defenses, faced with making the instant decision of who to cover, will likely make the wrong choice.

Van Jefferson will pick up the offensive snaps vacated by Josh Reynolds. Will that be enough to make a run at a Pro Bowl season? Perhaps not. But a fast start will likely attract more passes in his direction, and that could catapult him into the discussion.

To win the Super Bowl in SoFi Stadium, the Rams will need heroes to step up this year. These are three possible players who could deliver the necessary heroics this year.