Van Jefferson caught four passes for 76 yards in his first two NFL games. He was targeted by Jared Goff eight times and looked poised for a strong rookie season.
But in the last two weeks, he’s played a total of 11 offensive snaps, has been targeted just twice and hasn’t caught a pass since Week 2. His lack of involvement has been surprising, as the Rams have leaned more on fourth-year receiver Josh Reynolds instead.
Sean McVay was asked about Jefferson’s limited snaps the last two weeks during an appearance on the Coach McVay Show, and he blamed himself for it. He said he has to do a better job getting the rookie involved, and plans to.
“I’ve just got to do a better job connecting with (wide receivers) Coach (Eric) Yarber. It’s nothing he hasn’t done,” McVay said. “These games have been a little bit tighter each of the last couple weeks and we did some things where maybe you err on the side of feeling good about some of the continuity you have at the receiver position that we’ve had with guys that have been in those situations. But really, it’s nothing Van hasn’t done. We’ll look to continue to see him get more involved and that’s something that I’ve got to do a better job of.”
What isn’t helping Jefferson’s playing time is the Rams’ depth at wide receiver. It’s hard to ever take Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp off the field, and Reynolds is a quality No. 3 wideout. He’s seen an uptick in opportunities the last two weeks, catching seven passes for 85 yards on nine targets.
McVay likes what he’s seen from Reynolds and could get him more involved, too, and that could come by giving Woods and Kupp a breather more often.
“You feel really good about Josh, but I think how good you feel about our four receivers is a good thing and we’ve got to make sure that while you know how good and productive Robert and Cooper are, it’s still good to be able to spell them and have Josh get involved, but also Van a little bit more, as well.”
Jefferson remains an important part of this roster and even though he’s had a quiet start to his rookie season, he’ll get his opportunities down the line – especially if Reynolds leaves in free agency next offseason.
