3 Rams that need a bigger role in remaining games

The LA Rams have dropped to a 3-6 record after falling to the Arizona Cardinals by a score of 27-17. This loss seems to hold a tad more weight than the others, considering the injury news coming out after the game. Rams All-Pro WR Cooper Kupp suffered a high ankle sprain, which he had surgery on Tuesday morning. He was placed on injured reserve, which will cause him to miss at least four weeks. Rams offensive linemen Alaric Jackson and Chandler Brewer were put on injured reserve and will miss extensive time due to their respective injuries.

Fans have been lobbying for many different players to get opportunities over the course of the season, and now may be the perfect opportunity. The Rams shouldn’t “give up” this season, but with their record and the state of their roster, they can afford to see what they have for the future.

Here are three players who could and should see a bigger role for the rest of 2022.

3. RB Kyren Williams

Coming out of Notre Dame, LA Rams rookie RB Kyren Williams was seen as an intriguing draft pick. He was extremely productive in college, averaging 5.7 yards per carry while also excelling as a receiver and pass blocker.

In 2022, Williams spent much of his time on IR nursing an ankle injury. This past Sunday against the Cardinals was his first game back in action since the opening kickoff of week one. He didn’t get much of an opportunity to contribute early in the game, as his only carry didn’t come until fourth-quarter garbage time minutes. However, Williams showed a good burst and explosion on that nine-yard carry. Kyren had 4 touches for 39 yards in what was essentially his NFL debut.

At the beginning of this season, it was previously noted by ESPN insider Adam Schefter that Kyren Williams was due for a big workload in week one. Rams head coach Sean McVay has also previously praised the young running back, considering him a player who would contribute on offense by not playing him in the preseason.

The Rams this season have obviously had their issues at the running back position. Rams RB Cam Akers hasn’t been effective this year, leading to him having “philosophical” differences with the team. RB Darrell Henderson has seemed effective when used, but for some reason cannot get a consistent amount of touches to truly affect the game. The Rams even offered a significant trade at the 2022 deadline, for now, 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey, signaling that they were not happy with their current situation at the position.

So, what sticks? The answer to the Rams’ running back woes just may be a St. Louis, Missouri native who was recently activated from injured reserve. Kyren Williams is obviously someone that the Rams’ coaching staff have a ton of positive things to say about and want to incorporate into their future. What better time to figure out what you have in Williams than right now?

With the injury to Cooper Kupp, the Rams will look to make up for his impact in all sorts of ways. Look for Williams to be one of the weapons used to help supplement the loss of production. Don’t be surprised if Kyren Williams takes over the starting spot at running back for the rest of 2022 and beyond.

2. WR Van Jefferson

Life has not been easy for Rams WR Van Jefferson since the start of the league year. Early on in 2022 after winning Super Bowl LVI, Jefferson had undergone surgery to repair a minor knee injury. Jefferson was having a good training camp in 2022 and received praise from multiple players and staff about how well he was performing. Unfortunately, Jefferson tweaked his knee again toward the end of camp, which resulted in a second procedure being done at the beginning of August that would cause him to miss even more time.

After returning from injury in Week 8 against the San Francisco 49ers, expectations were high that Jefferson would come in and be a deep threat that Rams QB Matthew Stafford and this offense were missing. That hasn’t quite been the case, as his first two catches of the season came last week against the Arizona Cardinals. However, one of those catches resulted in a touchdown for the third-year receiver late in the fourth quarter.

Father-Son reunion

After the game, he talked about just how much that meant to him and his confidence. He also shared this brief moment with his father, Shawn Jefferson, who is the WR coach for the Arizona Cardinals.

With Jefferson’s confidence beginning to rise, there would be no better time than now to get him more integrated into the Rams’ offense. With the injury to Kupp and Rams WR Allen Robinson not doing too much to grab a defense’s attention, Van Jefferson could very well be the most dangerous receiver remaining on the roster at the moment. He is well-positioned for a much bigger role for the rest of the year.

We’ve seen what Jefferson is capable of when healthy and in a groove. He put up quite possibly the quietest 800-yard season I’ve ever seen from a receiver in 2021. The rest of the season is set up for him to get back into that groove. Stafford has had a clear rapport with Jefferson, as we saw them connect for multiple deep shots over the course of last year. Jefferson only played 17 snaps last week but assuming that Matthew Stafford is healthy and ready to go, these two could potentially match some of the numbers they put together in 2021.

1. CB Cobie Durant

Earlier this year I wrote an article about my biggest takeaways from the Rams’ 2022 preseason. One of them was the excellent play of Rams CB Cobie Durant, along with the other rookies in the secondary.

In week two, DB Cobie Durant burst onto the NFL scene against the Atlanta Falcons. He notched both his first NFL sack and interception, taking the interception back 51 yards before being tackled. It was a promising first game for what looked like was going to be a productive season for the young rookie.

Unfortunately, he was sidelined for an extended period of time due to a hamstring injury. In his absence, Rams rookie CB Derion Kendrick stepped up to help out the Rams’ defense. Last week against Arizona, Rams CB David Long struggled against Cardinals WRs Rondale Moore and AJ Green. The Rams could go back to getting Kendrick more snaps, but they should insert Cobie Durant into the lineup.

We have seen him make countless plays on special teams since his return, and he is obviously one that is highly thought of by the coaching staff. His lack of playing time thus far has been a result of his injury as well as just getting back into the groove of things. The rest of this season should see him getting some action alongside Rams DBs Jalen Ramsey and Troy Hill when they bring out their Nickel package.

With David Long Jr. and Troy Hill in contract years, this is an important time for Durant and the other young DBs to show what they are capable of. Don’t be shocked if Durant cements himself as a bonafide starter by the season’s end.