Puka Nacua injury is finally forcing Rams to give CJ Daniels a chance

Puka Nacua is likely headed to injured reserve with a knee injury. Davante Adams is already there. Tight end Terrance Ferguson, a hybrid wideout of sorts, will miss more time with a new hamstring injury. If there's a silver lining to the Los Angeles Rams' desperation for warm-bodied receivers, it's that fans will finally get to see rookie CJ Daniels in action. 

Head coach Sean McVay confirmed as much on Monday. After playing all of six snaps thus far, Daniels will indeed see a substantial uptick in reps. 

"With the way that he's worked consistently, the way that he shows up day in and day out, I think if you ask a lot of our DBs about him, they'd give you a bunch of positive feedback because of the looks, the challenges," McVay told reporters. "He's got a lot of maturity for a young guy. He's a guy that, no question about it, will get an opportunity to play more snaps moving forward."

Hopefully that will come in conjunction with a move before the trade deadline, but at least Rams fans will finally get to see what the sixth-rounder has to offer.

Injuries have forced the Rams to finally give CJ Daniels his shot

Despite making a cameo in each of the last three games, Daniels has yet to draw a target. Even after Adams' injury, the Rams have been reluctant to involve receivers other than Nacua. The players who have had opportunities haven't necessarily maximized them. 

Daniels is clearly at the bottom of the pecking order. Perhaps we were overzealous after the draft and in the preseason, labeling Daniels a WR3 candidate ahead of his more established teammates. Nope, that didn't happen. In fact, the Rams haven't had a WR3 to speak of.

Still, McVay's unwillingness - or that of the team as a whole - to give Daniels a shot has been rather puzzling. The Rams haven't exactly had a bounty of options. They've had injuries left and right. In the draft, they traded up to select Daniels with the 197th pick. 

But rookies not named Nacua tend not to see much playing time in the Rams' operation. Just ask tight end Max Klare, LA's second-round pick out of Ohio State. He's also waiting on his first target. Daniels has been no exception to the franchise tradition. 

According to McVay, that's about to change - out of pure necessity. After beginning the year with seven, the Rams only have four receivers on the active roster. That group has combined for 20 catches and 273 receiving yards. So, um, not great. 

While there's no guarantee that Daniels makes much of a dent, he deserves an opportunity. He's been deserving. He doesn't have great speed, but he showed strong, sure hands and a nose for the end zone at Miami last season. His seven touchdowns ranked second on the team. In the preseason, Daniels established sound chemistry with both Ty Simpson and Stetson Bennett at quarterback.

He's presumably seen fewer reps with Matthew Stafford and the first-teamers in practice, but after a plague of drops in Week 9, Stafford would certainly appreciate a sure-handed target if that's what Daniels can supply. 

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