Without Puka Nacua, It's Time for the Rams to See What They Have in Rookie Wide Receiver CJ Daniels

It’s been no secret that the Los Angeles Rams haven’t gotten a lot of production out of their rookie class. With their first pick, they took Ty Simpson, who has been the emergency third-string quarterback most weeks. With their next two picks, the Rams selected depth players in Max Klare and Keagen Trost. The most productive rookie for the Rams has been undrafted free agent edge rusher Wesley Bailey.

Through nine weeks, the Rams rank 31st in snap rate for their rookie class at 1.7 percent. The only team worse than them is the Denver Broncos at 1.3 percent. For the most part, unless the Rams have been forced to play their rookies, they haven’t seen the field.

Rookie snaps for every NFL team

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With the Rams down to just three tight ends against the Los Angeles Chargers, they reverted to 11 personnel to start the game, a personnel grouping they weren’t built for. The Rams’ offense struggled, and they were forced to play Klare in the second half. That adjustment and going back to 13 personnel was a turning point in that game.

Despite Klare playing well against the Chargers, he was back to playing 0 snaps on offense last week against the Washington Commanders.

As the Rams head into Week 10 against the Arizona Cardinals, they are in a similar predicament at the wide receiver position. Without Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, the Rams will be relying on Konata Mumpfield, Tutu Atwell, Xavier Smith, and CJ Daniels at wide receiver.

CJ Daniels Has Earned Praise From the Rams Coaching Staff

The x-factor in all that is Daniels. Throughout training camp and the start of the season, head coach Sean McVay has consistently described Daniels as a mature rookie. All accounts are that Daniels impressed in training camp and, from a production standpoint, he performed well in the preseason.

“He’s just had a mature presence, kind of no nonsense but it's not too big for him. He's so secure to be able to handle coaching or corrections,” said McVay on Friday. “He plays big at the catch point. He has a physicality. A lot of the things that you're looking for from our receivers, he's checking those boxes and he's very curious. That's what you really want from these guys is the humility and the passion for the game.”

There’s certainly a difference in the level of play and complexion of the offense being run in the preseason compared to the regular season. Throughout the McVay era, the Rams have typically brought rookies along slowly, especially those at the skill positions outside of a few exceptions. The Rams have shown that when rookies demonstrate they are ready and can handle the intricacies of the offense, they will get an opportunity.

Still, given everything that Daniels showed in the offseason, it seems odd that he has yet to get that opportunity despite some of the injuries to the wide receiver position. Based on body type alone, it would seem that Daniels would be the most logical replacement for Adams. McVay hinted at a larger role for Daniels last week, but he played just one snap.

“He's had a lot of great moments behind the scenes,” said offensive coordinator Nate Scheelhaase this week. “We've been really encouraged about his development and his progression as the year has gone on. He's been as fun of a player to watch on our practice field for the last few weeks. I'm obviously excited for him to continue to get opportunities, but they're opportunities that he's earned through a lot of hard work, through a lot of consistency in how he's approached.”

It's Time for the Rams to Give CJ Daniels an Opportunity

The Rams are at a point in the season given their injury situation that they have nothing to lose by playing rookies. While the Rams needed the wide receiver depth, it was almost concerning when they brought Xavier Smith back this week after striking out at the trade deadline. The worst thing the Rams can do is give an ‘edge-of-the-roster’ type player snaps over someone with upside like Daniels.

That’s not even to say that Smith isn’t a good wide receiver. He showed some value last season when he ranked second in the NFL in EPA per target, was fourth in targeted success rate, and was top 20 in yards per route run. However, he should be getting snaps over a player like Tutu Atwell, not Daniels.

It’s time for the Rams to see what they have with some of their rookie class, and specifically Daniels. During the preseason, Daniels earned the most targets per route among wide receivers. His 1.91 yards per route run ranked sixth.

“C.J. has done a hell of a job,” said quarterback Matthew Stafford. “You look at the crossover tape when Stetson and Ty are working against our defense, he's showing up in a big way a lot of different times. I'm excited to get some chances to throw with him, get it out there on Sunday, and just get his feet wet.”

Rams Have an Opportunity to See What CJ Daniels Can Do

Without Adams, Daniels is arguably the only wide receiver with the size to play outside the numbers. From a size standpoint, he’s a 99 percent match to Nacua via Mockdraftable. He’s 6’2, 202 pounds. Heading into Sunday, the average size of the Rams’ wide receiver depth chart is 5’9.8, 182.4 pounds.

With the Rams missing their top two options at wide receiver, it’s time to see what they have in Daniels. Given the depth of the roster early in the season, it made sense to be patient with the rookie. If Daniels is as ready as the coaching staff has suggested, it's time to put him on the field and let him prove it.

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