Is Rams rookie wide receiver Jordan Whittington playing today?

The LA Rams wide receiver room has more talent than many give this team credit for. How can that be? Well, the team has opted to sit WRs Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua, Demarcus Robinson, and Tutu Atwell out of all preseason competition. So, to interpret what this means, the Rams have assigned at least four wide receiver slots already. Optimistically speaking, two more spots for the wide receiver position may still be up for grabs.

But if you witnessed the physicality and determination of rookie WR Jordan Whittington in Game 1 of the Rams preseason, you saw a very determined young man. He creates matchup nightmares for defenses, and he has already proven to be a dependable producer on the football field. Now the question for Rams fans is: Have the coaches seen enough?

Of course, many fans believe the answer to that question to be a resounding yes. It means that Whittington has made the roster, will not be at as great of a risk of injury, and will be entertaining fans throughout the season.

On the other hand, playing the Devil's Advocate, once the season starts, just how much work will Whittington truly get. Yes, I've seen some ambitious and aggressive projections that suggest that he has or is on his way to rise to the third wide receiver in this offense. Great story. But if true, why are Demarcus Robinson and Tutu Atwell sitting in preseason, and Jordan Whittington is not?

The truth about Jordan Whittington that he will make this roster. But as you can tell from the conversation from Rams OC Mike LaFleur has with a reporter, the coaching staff has not yet made the determination about Whittington's participation in Game 2 of the team's preseason. So let's break it down for you.

Why he may sit in Game 2:

For many reasons, the LA Rams coaching staff has taken a rather simple perspective about preseason games. Those games have a purpose, and that purpose is to give players on the roster bubble a chance to put there talents on display and garner interest from other football teams in need of those skills.

And this year, the Rams roster is overflowing with talent.

The team does not play key contributors in preseason because preseason games expose players to unnecessary risk of injury. And, in the team's opinion, if even one player gets dinged up, then the team was foolish to have that player participate in the first place.

Another reason why this team does not play key contributors is due to the fact that the coaching staff has much more confidence in a more controlled environment of joint practices and scrimmages. It is during those sessions that Rams players face opposing players from other NFL teams, making the competition much more relevant as players have not played against one another. And, because it is not a game format, coaches have far more discretion over the pace and scripts of the session.

Finally, the coaches recognize that much of the body of work at joint sessions falls to the starters and the primary backups. So the team dedicates the competition at preseason games almost exclusively to those players who really do not get the same number and quality of repetitions during a week of practice.

Whittington is getting work with the 1s. He has earned the right to be targeted by QB Matthew Stafford and Jimmy Garoppolo. And with that level of work, he simply may not need more work in preseason games like other receivers vying for a roster spot.

Why he may play in Game 2:

Jordan Whittington is a five year NCAA football veteran from the University of Texas. But his body of work there as not exactly taxing. In those five seasons, Whittington caught 141 passes for 1,757 yards and five touchdowns. On a per season average basis, he caught 28.2 passes for 371.4 yards and one touchdown per year.

So he has plenty of room to pack on more reps.

I suspect that an even more compelling reason for giving him preseason game work likes in the complexity of his role on this team. As you know, the Rams expect a great deal from their receivers. Blocking is paramount, and catching the football is secondary to blocking. That is, until a player can prove their blocking, they see too few targets to amount to anything.

Whittington was the fourth or fifth option in a Texas offense that looked elsewhere because Whittington was unselfish and gladly blocked for teammates. But the Rams love those versatile receivers. But with a larger role, players need more reps, patience, and work. Whittington may have shown up on everyone's radar screen, but has he proven the consistency to advance to the next level?

The question that must be answered this week, or sometime, is was Whittington effective because he is that good, the Dallas Cowboys secondary is that bad, or some combination of both? It was clear that the Cowboys secondary was feasting on some poorly thrown footballs by QB Stetson Bennett. Did that interception-festival give them due cause to lower their guard, and let Whittington outhustle them?

We may not know the answer to that question until we see Jordan Whittington back on the football field. And the next chance for that to happen is on August 17, 2024, at 4:30 pm PT.

UPDATE: Rookie WR Jordan Whittington IS playing today. And he already has a 13-yard reception.

Thank you for reading.