Last season, the Rams had just 10 receptions of over 20 air yards on 36 targets for 330 yards and two touchdowns. To put that into perspective, Atlanta’s Calvin Ridley led all receivers in 2020 with 16 deep receptions n 36 targets for 475 yards and two touchdowns. This was more about Jared Goff’s limitations as a deep thrower than the relative inability of Robert Woods, Josh Reynolds, Cooper Kupp, or Van Jefferson to get anything done deep, and now that the Rams have Matthew Stafford under center, it was time for Sean McVay to get another deep target on the cheap. Because in 2020 with the Lions, Stafford completed 28 of 67 deep passes for 936 yards, seven touchdowns, and no interceptions.
So, McVay went out and got veteran speedster DeSean Jackson on a one-year deal. Terms have not yet been disclosed, but given the fact that Jackson has seen action in just eight games over his last two seasons, we’re assuming it’s closer to the vet minimum than anything massive. Even with the time Jackson has missed in 2019 and 2020, he still shows the ability to beat a defense deep, even when the 2020 version of Carson Wentz was throwing him the ball:
Assuming that Jackson’s deal is entirely reasonable for his age (34) and injury history, let’s call this a “B.” But if Jackson is able to stay healthy all season, and presents Stafford with this kind of deep target, we’ll be revisiting this as one of the more impactful low-key deals of the 2021 league year.