LA Rams call up pancake specialist Jacob Harris for Week 2

The LA Rams need better blocking on offense, and they need it pronto. But you will never guess who the team is elevating from the practice squad to deliver it. Of course, the first thought may be towards one of a number of offensive linemen who patiently await their opportunity to contribute. But no, it’s not one of them.

Well then, you would likely start thinking about big burly skilled players. The Rams really don’t have a healthy big running back, as their biggest is Trey Ragas and he was just assigned to injured reserve. So surely it’s TE Roger Carter Jr., right? Well, not exactly. But we are getting warmer.

When push comes to shove, the LA Rams have chosen to activate their pancake specialist, TE/WR Jacob Harris.

Curiously, Harris was just learning how to block when he joined the team’s roster one year ago. But now he is learning how to leverage his 6-foot-5 height and 211-pound frame into knocking defenders onto their keister. And we love every minute of it.

The ability to block was the one item that seemed to keep Harris off the roster. Now, he finds his stock rising rapidly with the team.

Of course, the likely reason to activate him on Week 2 is to add his special teams’ coverage skills to the team on a week in which the Rams are in sore need of a win. That may be the entire story on the matter. But, just for a change, wouldn’t it be a pleasant surprise to find the LA Rams actually involve someone in the aerial assault not named Cooper Kupp, Tyler Higbee, or Ben Skowronek? In the case of Kupp, I’d rather the team not overuse him this early in the season. In the case of Higbee and Skowronek, I’d rather the team target players who have better catch rates.

Harris could be a valuable offensive weapon for the team. But much like veteran wide receiver Allen Robinson, the team has to target him to create that value. Otherwise, they are just tall and fast decoys.