Is it time for LA Rams to debut Jacob Harris in Week 8?

(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Okay, so what ARE the LA Rams up to?

That’s a burning question, and the answer may come in the form of one blockbuster trade at the NFL deadline that we are all anticipating. Or it could come in the form of a spring shower, with several little moves that are barely noticeable on their roster.

So far we’ve been experiencing a slow leak in the quality of the LA Rams active 53-man roster. Not only has the team been content to trade away starting inside linebacker Kenny Young to the linebacker needy Denver Broncos for almost nothing, but now the team is rumored to be seeking a team interested in trading for veteran wide receiver DeSean Jackson.

Such bizarre strategy for an NFL team that is 6-1 and is looking to go 7-1.  Well, it’s not the first time that the LA Rams have rolled the dice on a high-stakes wager. But is the coming news coming from the acquisition of a new piece to the LA Rams Super Bowl roster puzzle? Or will it come from someone already on the roster, like rookie Jacob Harris?

Before this season, it seemed prudent to sit back and observe just how well and quickly the LA Rams would begin to gel offensively. Not only was the team playing behind a new iteration of their offensive line, but the team is breaking in a new, albeit veteran, quarterback named Matthew Stafford.

From what we’ve seen from the offense so far, the Rams are doing well. Very well, in fact.

Is Jacob Harris a Mega-coincidence?

The LA Rams seem to be very confident in their roster, in the players that the team has. Could it be that the coaching staff shares our befuddling belief in their rookie tight end/wide receiver, Jacob Harris? And if so, is this the moment where he is unveiled to the NFL?

What is there to be excited about for a rookie who has yet to see a single pass thrown his way? Well, there is the fact that Jacob Harris is a 6-foot-5 target. Then there is the fact that he actually posted a sub-4.4-second 40-yard dash on his pro day. Keep going? His wide wingspan is a phenomenal 6-foot-9.25 inches.  But perhaps the most unusual and promising feature? He is very similar in his raw talent to the great Calvin Johnson, a receiver who once was the teammate of Matthew Stafford.

Now Stafford is throwing for the Rams. How long before he throws to Harris? It could be Week 8.

A good day to take chances

After all, the Rams are sitting three starters and starting rookie inside linebacker Ernest Jones already in Week 8. With so many other changes already, why not give Harris a chance to make a cameo appearance in this one?

Harris is a mismatch for almost all but the best defensive backs in the NFL. With Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods, and even Van Jefferson on the football field, the best pass defenders will most assuredly be preoccupied.  So that affords the opportunity to get a very raw rookie some invaluable NFL playing experience.

Jacob Harris is not a finished product by any means. In the heat of battle, he has not drilled himself to know instinctively when to cut, where to be, and how to elude defenders in the process. But he’s learned as much as he can from a whiteboard lecture. It’s time to put this young man on the football field with the offense, and let him gain the one element that he does not yet have.

Experience.

Is it time for the LA Rams to debut Jacob Harris? Well, let’s put it this way. If not now. When?

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