Re-signing Xavier Smith does nothing to solve Rams' receiver problems

The Los Angeles Rams clearly needed receiver help, so they went out at the trade deadline and …brought back Xavier Smith? 

Well, that ought to fix things. 

It's not a pure addition. The Rams signed Smith off the San Francisco 49ers' practice squad to account for Jordan Whittington being placed on injured reserve. Whittington had been nursing a back injury and was barely involved on offense over the past two weeks. 

Smith, meanwhile, returns to Los Angeles after being waived in early October. It's hardly the move Rams fans had hoped for to address the injury absences of Davante Adams and Puka Nacua. Who will Matthew Stafford even throw to?

Re-signing Xavier Smith doesn't move the needle

Well, probably not to Smith. After finishing as the Rams' third-leading wideout a season ago, Smith was targeted just once in three games before being cut. Whittington didn't offer much as a pass-catcher, either; he had 2 grabs for 12 yards all season. 

Where Smith is more likely to feature, and could actually provide an upgrade on the Rams' pitiful replacements in the return game, is on special teams. Alex Bachman is back on the practice squad after averaging 5.2 yards per punt return. The Rams tried Kyren Williams there last game; he fair-caught two punts and returned none, which is probably best given the injury risk to a critical piece of the offense. 

Smith has his own issues, especially in the ball-security department, but he does offer more upside than anything LA has had in the meantime. 

But he's not likely to make much of an impact as a receiver. Aside from Smith, the Rams will have to make it work with some combination of Tutu Atwell, Konata Mumpfield, and rookie CJ Daniels. 

They'll do what they can with their healthy tight ends; Terrance Ferguson needs more time after pulling his hamstring, Colby Parkinson is banged up, and Tyler Higbee has seemingly faded from relevance. Davis Allen is more run blocker than pass catcher. Perhaps Max Klare will finally have a real chance to contribute alongside Daniels.

Even so, would it be surprising if Williams leads the team in receiving until Nacua returns? He hasn't done as much as pass-catching lately, but tallied 13 receptions for 137 yards between Weeks 3 and 4. 

Barring a very late update, the dust has settled on the Rams' trade deadline and not much has changed. No Josh Downs; he went to the Chiefs for more draft assets than general manager Les Snead could conscionably part with. No Brian Thomas Jr.; he stayed put in Jacksonville. 

If there's the faintest of silver linings, it's that the lack of moves indicates a more positive outlook for Nacua than initially reported. Does it mean anything that Whittington, not Nacua, was the first to hit IR?

Don't get your hopes up, though. Head coach Sean McVay seemed confident that Nacua would miss at least a month and likely require his own IR stint. Maybe, just maybe, that's not the case, after all. It's the best scrap Rams fans have left to cling to.  

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