Heading into Week 1 against the Buffalo Bills, the Los Angeles Rams are almost fully healthy with the exception of a few players who are on injured lists to open the year. Van Jefferson is one player who’s on the active roster but is still working his way back from injury.
Jefferson underwent his second knee surgery of the offseason this summer, fixing a little tweak he suffered in July. The Rams haven’t said much about his Week 1 status and on Friday, Sean McVay said the team is still taking it a day at a time. He didn’t say whether Jefferson will play against the Bills, but he is progressing well.
“He’s making good progress,” McVay said. “We’re taking it a day at a time with Van, kind of like what we said. That’s where we’re at with that.”
The Rams will have Cooper Kupp and Allen Robinson as their starting receivers regardless, but if Jefferson is out, they’ll need someone to step up as the No. 3 target. That could be either Ben Skowronek or Tutu Atwell, or possibly a blend of both depending on the situation.
There’s still a chance Jefferson will be active, but the Rams might be wise to prepare for a worst-case scenario where he doesn’t play.