Jared Goff won’t have Todd Gurley to hand the ball off to or Brandin Cooks to target on deep passes this season, but the Rams still don’t lack offensive playmakers. Gone are those two players, but the Rams are welcoming rookies Cam Akers and Van Jefferson, as well as dynamic tight end Brycen Hopkins.
There’s still a clear drop-off from how L.A.’s offensive weapons were viewed at this time last year, but you could argue there’s more upside now after seeing Gurley struggle with injury and Cooks’ production fall off a cliff.
Bill Barnwell of ESPN ranked every team’s offensive weapons on Monday and although the Rams were outside the top 10, they did come in at No. 11. In Barnwell’s 2019 rankings, the Rams were No. 1, rising from the sixth spot in 2018.
Here’s what Barnwell wrote about the Rams and how the offense is shaping up.
The dream fell apart for the Rams, who responded to a frustrating season by doing something that would have been unimaginable two years ago: trading away Brandin Cooks and cutting Todd Gurley. They replaced the duo by using second-round picks on Cam Akers and Van Jefferson. Sean McVay desperately needs Akers or 2019 third-rounder Darrell Henderson to step up as an every-down back given how ordinary Malcolm Brown has been for most of his career.
The big three at wide receiver is now a big two with Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods, but Los Angeles still has three devastating receiving weapons when you add tight end Tyler Higbee to the mix. Over the last five weeks of 2019, Higbee led all receivers — not tight ends, but all pass-catchers — in receiving yards (522). That number probably isn’t sustainable with Gerald Everett back in the mix, given that the other Rams tight end played just four snaps over that five-game stretch, but if Higbee is a top-end TE1, this team might not miss Cooks.
The biggest factor for the Rams in 2020 will be the play of their offensive line. If that group doesn’t get better after last season’s mess, the offense as a whole will continue to sputter – which probably still means a top-15 finish in points and yards.
In order for Goff to take the necessary steps toward bouncing back, he needs better protection up front and more help from his running game. That might seem like a big ask for a quarterback who signed a $134 million contract, but even the best quarterbacks need better protection than what Goff got in 2019 in order to live up to expectations.
The Rams certainly don’t lack talent at the skill positions, as evidenced by Barnwell’s rankings, but the offensive line is far more important with regards to their overall success.