With Cooper Kupp placed on the injured reserve, Van Jefferson has a golden opportunity to step up.
An already struggling Los Angeles Rams offense took another massive blow in their 27-17 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, with star receiver Cooper Kupp being placed on injured reserve.
Now, the Rams will seek receiving production from elsewhere. on the roster. However, while losing Kupp is a definite downgrade, they do have talent on the roster.
Among those options is receiver Van Jefferson who has been working his way back from an injury suffered during the offseason. With Kupp sidelined, Sean McVay believes that Jefferson has the ability to step up and help carry some of the load.
“I’m hopeful. I think that’s a lot of things that he can draw confidence on,” McVay said. “Just continuing to get back comfortable playing in real game-like settings and being able to utilize the ability to be able to separate and play the position the way that he’s accustomed to.”
Jefferson didn’t light up the stat sheet against the Cardinals, only recording three catches for 27 yards and a touchdown. Even then, McVay is hopeful that Jefferson can turn that into more production moving forward in the absence of Kupp.
“I do think that’s something that he can draw a lot of confidence on,” McVay said. “The way that he was able to finish up that game and we’re hopeful for more opportunities for Van and more snaps if he’s feeling good.”
With the Rams’ playoff hopes diminishing on a seemingly weekly basis, the rest of the season will go a long way toward their offseason plans. If Jefferson can show that he is a reliable receiver two or three to pair with Kupp then the Rams will have one less issue to address in the offseason.
