Sorting through LA Rams WR options: Reynolds, OBJ, or another FA?

Play me or release me

Another NFL wide receiver sought his release due to a lack of offensive opportunities, but this one appears to be one that the LA Rams fans may be willing to accept with open arms. He is former Rams wide receiver Josh Reynolds, and he was just released by the Tennessee Titans.

Reynolds would fill a number of needs for the Rams roster, including putting a taller receiver onto the football field for quarterback Matthew Stafford. While he has been mentioned in a number of “he would fit” articles for various teams, I’m not convinced that he fits any other roster nearly as well as that of the Rams.

He is a 6-foot-3, 196-pound target who can run a 4.57-second 40-yard dash. That is pretty quick for a tallish receiver, and the Rams had made use of that tall and quick package in their offense in the past. Now, with a strong-armed quarterback, the Rams would be even more capable of creating mismatches on the football field with Reynolds’ size and speed.

Rams roster-ready receiver

Reynolds was a convincingly improving receiver for the LA Rams, thanks to the design of the routes and options of head coach Sean McVay. In the Rams offense, Reynolds slowly developed into a competent WR3, because he understood and performed the tasks necessary to succeed in the Rams offense.

Reynolds learned that to earn the rock, you had to block. And so, he learned that skill. After that, he learned that to remain an option in the Rams offense, he had to make catches for passes thrown his way. Initially barely a 50/50 receiver, he has improved dramatically over the past two seasons. He caught 64.2 percent of his passes in his last season for the Rams, and 76.9 percent of the passes thrown his way in the Titans offense.

Reynolds would be a quick impact player for the Rams offense, a receiver who is Rams roster-ready. Reynolds would be a sure-handed option for Stafford, who could push Van Jefferson to improve much the same way that Jefferson pushed Reynolds in 2020. Perhaps most of all, he is familiar with the team, the players, and the opponents.