John Johnson spent the first four years of his career with the Rams, all with Sean McVay as his head coach. He spent the first nine weeks of this season in Cleveland with the Browns where he was teammates with Odell Beckham Jr.
He knows how talented Beckham is as a receiver, but he’s not so sure about how OBJ fits with the Rams, given the fact that they already have Cooper Kupp as their No. 1 target. During his media session on Thursday after Beckham’s deal with the Rams was announced, Johnson shared his immediate thoughts on the move for both sides.
“I don’t know how that’s going to work,” he said, via the Akron Beacon Journal.
“I just feel like they had a good thing going, like a complete offense. From being in L.A., I know for a fact the offense runs through Cooper Kupp. Even in the run game, the pass game, the screen game, it kind of runs through Cooper Kupp. Obviously, Odell’s a big name. He’s going to want that attention, as well. So it’ll be interesting.”
Kupp has dominated the target share in Los Angeles this season. He’s seen 103 passes thrown his way in only nine games, 34 more than any other player on the Rams. Matthew Stafford has exceled when targeting Kupp, connecting for big play after big play.
Stafford won’t force the ball to Beckham, nor will McVay design a game plan to heavily feature the Rams’ new receiver. Johnson knows that and doesn’t doubt McVay’s ability to make it work with Beckham.
“Coach McVay, he’s one of the best doing it. I know he’ll find a way to get it done,” Johnson said. “But just right off the bat, I’m like, I wouldn’t really want to go there if I were him, but we’ll see how it goes, and I wish him the best.
“They’re going to find a way to get him the ball. They’re definitely going to do that. Matt Stafford is one of the best doing it right now. They have an electric offense. They’re fun to watch. So it’ll be interesting. I’m going to be tuned in and see how it goes. But that’s a good situation to go to if you’re a wide receiver. I know that.”
It’ll take some time for Beckham to get fully acclimated in the Rams offense and he’ll have to not only learn a new playbook, but also adjust to being on a team where he won’t be the No. 1 receiver.
As the season progresses, the Rams offense should only get better because having too many playmakers is never a bad thing – especially if everyone has bought into McVay’s “we not me” mentality.
[listicle id=657908]