Odell Beckham Jr. on LA Rams: “They didn’t offer me…. ANYthing!”

Rams roster problems

The LA Rams rolled the dice in the offseason, as do all teams. The reason that the Rams’ challenges with their free agent acquisitions appear so blatantly mistaken is that the Rams run their roster on the thinnest of margins. Right now, the Rams’ offense is the worst it has been since head coach Sean McVay had taken over the team in 2017.

And with the zealous scrutiny that comes with a broken offense, NFL pundits and fans look to compare the differences in the supercharged 2021 NFL offense to the substandard 2022 NFL offense.  The biggest difference? The Rams signed free agent wide receiver Allen Robinson in the offseason, and many believe he is not holding up his end of the contract.

What is really going on with the LA Rams offense right now?

We see what we want to see

To get a better framework for what is really happening on the LA Rams offense, we need to step back a bit and see how the Rams 2021 season compares to the 2022 season statistically. So what is the problem?

I have to admit that I am a bit surprised by what the statistics indicate. The production of Cooper Kupp is almost in lockstep in 2021. The rushing averaged 3.8 yards per run in 2021 and 3.2 yards per run in 2022. A drop, but not a plummet. Where the offense has plunged is the ability of other receivers on the roster at stretching the field. In short, no Van Jefferson and no DeSean Jackson on this offense is taking all of the explosions out of this offense.

Let’s see what I mean:

5 game comparatives

Name                                            2021                                                          2022
Matthew Stafford        117-182 1587  12 TD 3 Int                134-192  1,323 yds  5 TD 7 Int
Cooper Kupp                     37-56     513     5 TD                             49-64        527         4 TD
Tyler Higbee                      17-19     166     2 TD                             33-48        290         0 TD
Rushing                                  128      490     4 TD                                    97        312         3 TD
All other WRs                  63-107    908     5 TD                              52-80        506        1 TD

But that does not focus on Allen Robinson, does it? So let’s try this once more, but aim at comparing the five-game totals of Robert Woods to Allen Robinson:

Name                                            2021                                                          2022
Robert Woods                    24-39 312 yds  2 TD
Allen Robinson                                                                                           12-23   107 yds   1 TD

With this bit of information, we can see that the Rams clearly are not throwing to Robinson, and if they do so, it is for only short yardage. Can a receiver perform optimally if he is not targeted? You decide. But let’s be clear. Whatever the LA Rams are doing on offense, throwing at Allen Robinson is not part of the plan right now.