After a massively disappointing season in 2022, the Los Angeles Rams are making moves at receiver, trading away Allen Robinson in an effort to shake up their wide receiver depth chart before the 2023 NFL Draft. With the draft days away and camps opening up across the league, how does the Rams’ wide receiver depth chart look following the recent trade?
Los Angeles Rams Shake Up Their Wide Receiver Depth Chart
The Rams had one of the worst seasons ever for a defending Super Bowl champion. Nothing went right. Blown leads, questionable decision-making both on the field and on the sidelines, injuries, and poor play led the narratives, but it felt like the Rams were never in contention.
One of the many questions remaining on their depth chart heading into the 2023 offseason is that of the wide receiver position. While Cooper Kupp is unquestionably one of the best receivers in the NFL, Allen Robinson was brought in to be the No. 2.
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That never materialized, and after being limited to only 10 games due to a foot injury, the Rams traded Robinson to the Steelers on Tuesday, pending a physical.
Assuming the trade does go through, what does the remaining depth chart look like for the Rams as they head into a crucial 2023 NFL Draft?
Cooper Kupp Will Need To Be a Superhero for Sean McVay
Outside of a quarterback, is there a player with more responsibility on their shoulders than Cooper Kupp trying to carry the Rams’ offense?
Over the 2021 and 2022 seasons, Kupp competed in 26 games and produced 2,759 yards and 22 touchdowns. That’s over 100 yards per game and nearly a touchdown per game on average. Plus, that’s a pace of over 1,600 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2023. Just being healthy alone makes him a lock to obliterate 1,000 yards.
However, Los Angeles’ overdependence on Kupp partially led to his demise. There was no reason to target Kupp late in the game against the 49ers. They were being blown out by a better team. After trying to gut it out in Week 10 against the Cardinals, the Rams targeted Kupp five times, resulting in three completions and -1 yard. It was clear Kupp was a decoy.
Kupp going down and being placed on the IR signified the end of their season. Los Angeles can’t afford that to happen again. Robinson was not a massive contributor last year, and little changed for Kupp, but that is not entirely unexpected.
Kupp recorded a 31% target share (47% wide receiver) in 2022, which is negligibly different from his 32% target share in 2021 (44% WR). So while Robinson did help slightly, it was more about him competing with Van Jefferson for the No. 2 position.
If we can throw health out the window, Kupp should only be rivaled by Justin Jefferson for the target lead in the 2023 NFL season. I see no reason Matthew Stafford should not utilize his best playmaker any chance he has. He has already reported to camp, which means all signs are a go for Kupp to return to his dominant self.
While it certainly does not fix the long-term needs of the wide receiver depth chart for the Rams, Kupp is able to mask many of the inefficiencies, something that is both a positive and a negative.
Van Jefferson Must Take a Step Forward in 2023
As the No. 2 alongside Kupp in 2021, Jefferson’s second year in the NFL was also his best. He caught 50 of his 89 targets for 802 yards and six touchdowns. However, those numbers were cut in half last year. Playing in 11 games, Jefferson saw just 44 targets, catching 24 balls for 369 yards with three scores.
He got off to a slow start after being placed on the IR due to offseason knee surgery, which kept him sidelined until Week 8. He did not record his first target until Week 9, and his first catch and touchdown didn’t come until Week 10.
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While it’s easy to look at the baseline stats and say he disappointed, the timing of his return played a massive role as he became the de facto No. 1 with both Kupp and Robinson going down with various injuries. He was the top receiver alongside Ben Skowronek. While his numbers were not jaw-dropping, Jefferson was an unsung hero of the Rams’ offense.
Entering his contract year, barring additional moves, Jefferson will need to play the complementary role to Kupp. At 6’1″ and 200 pounds, he poses a significant threat, and he’s no longer a young receiver anymore, as he will be 27 for the 2023 season. There are certainly still long-term questions that need to be addressed, but Jefferson has the makeup for the No. 2 spot on the Rams wide receiver depth chart.
Who Is the Rams’ No. 3 Option at Wide Receiver Following the Robinson Trade?
The competition for the No. 3 spot on the depth chart at wide receiver will come down between Tutu Atwell and Skowronek. Of the two, Skowronek certainly has the size advantage, standing 6’3″ and 222 pounds; meanwhile, the diminutive Atwell tips the scales at 5’9″ and 165 pounds.
However, Atwell has a draft capital edge after being selected in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft, which was a surprise to many. Skowronek played a decent amount of snaps last year, including running a route on 92% of his passing downs. While he did catch 39 of his 58 targets, his 0.91 YPRR and 8.0 aDOT limited his efficiency for a Rams’ offense that desperately needed per-target upside.
Skowronek did have some big moments, including when he Moss’d Raiders DB Nate Hobbs on Thursday Night Football in one of the craziest games you’ll ever watch, thanks to the circumstances surrounding Baker Mayfield getting the start and leading a 98-yard drive to win the game.
Yet, of the two, Atwell might be more likely to break out and has a higher ceiling, albeit figuratively.
I’m not going to justify the selection, but we did see some of the upside, and it started with the first reception of his career in Week 5 against the Dallas Cowboys, where he beat Trevon Diggs for a 51-yard gain.
Then, Atwell was left out of the game plan for the following two contests and was inactive for the two following that. The move was bizarre, considering the Rams needed big plays more than anyone.
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But when he came back against New Orleans in Week 11, he made another huge play, this time for his first career touchdown on a 62-yard pass from Stafford.
The Rams continued to keep him in on the offense from this point forward. Over the final game eight of the season, Atwell averaged a 62.6% snap count, including a career-high 93% in the season finale against San Francisco. While he only played a significant amount of time in less than half of the games in 2022, Atwell totaled 27 touches for 332 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns.
Sure, these are not the eye-catching numbers you would expect for a player with second-round draft capital and 4.32 speed, but there’s more to come from Atwell. He could be a breakout candidate, and the trade of Robinson further opened this path.
With Kupp as the consistent volume hog, Skowronek and Jefferson the size and perimeter targets, and Atwell as the vertical coverage breaker, the Rams are not in an awful spot when it comes to their WR depth chart.
However, they have a supreme lack of depth, with only Austin Trammell and Lance McCutcheon on the roster at receiver. Plus, we are talking about guys who could step up, not ones with a proven track record of success at the NFL Level.
I do expect the Rams to take a few swings at the position during the 2023 NFL draft, but the core of Kupp, Jefferson, Atwell, and Skowronek will be asked to do the heavy lifting. How successful they will be will only depend on if we can see the 2021 version of Stafford.