Rams Keep Betting on Their Wide Receiver Depth and It Is Not Working

One of the glaring issues for the Los Angeles Rams on offense has been the lack of production from a third wide receiver. On Wednesday, the Rams once again passed on the opportunity to add a more experienced player at the position. Since free agency, the Rams could have signed players such as Stefon Diggs, Keenan Allen, and Brandin Cooks and instead opted not to.

When Odell Beckham Jr. was released by the New York Giants last week, it gave them another chance to add a veteran player with experience in the offense and coaching staff. Beckham officially signed to the Minnesota Vikings’ practice squad on Wednesday morning.

Vikings are signing veteran WR Odell Beckham Jr. to their practice squad, as @Schultz_Report reported.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 7, 2026

Coming into the season, it was understandable that the Rams may not have felt the need for a third wide receiver in the offense. As the offense looked to shift to more 13 personnel, the value of the third wide receiver diminished and the position wasn’t as needed as it had been in the past.

However, injuries happen in the NFL, and that was the case on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Rams were without Terrance Ferguson, who was placed on injured reserve, while Colby Parkinson missed the game with an AC sprain.

Without those two players, the Rams were forced to go back to 11 personnel, even if they didn’t necessarily have the players to do it. In Week 4, the Rams operated out of 11 personnel at an 88 percent clip. That’s their highest rate since Week 5 last year. Prior to Week 4, the Rams had operated just 56 percent of their offense out of 11 personnel.

Due to the injuries at the tight end position, the Rams’ usage out of 11 personnel jumped over 30 percent. For much of the game, it looked as if the offense lacked an identity and it made sense. That wasn’t the offense that the Rams planned to be this season. Head coach Sean McVay talked about that struggle to find an identity this week on the Coach McVay Show.

“What’s our identity? Because we’ve had some key figures that are in and out of the lineup, it’s been hard for us to establish.”

Rams Gamble at Wide Receiver Is Starting to Backfire

The Rams are simply not built to operate consistently out of 11 personnel. DDuring the first three weeks of the season, the offense averaged -0.02 EPA per play out of 11 personnel. That ranked 16th in the NFL. They’ve averaged 0.1 EPA per play out of 13 personnel, which is good enough for the fifth best in the NFL.

That impact was especially seen in the passing game. In 13 personnel, the Rams had a 60 percent passing success rate in the first three weeks of the season. During the first three weeks, they had just a 43.5 percent passing success rate out of 11 personnel. In the first half against the Eagles, the Rams had a 42.1 percent passing success rate out of 11 personnel.

That lack of success is a testament to how the Rams haven’t gotten a lot out of their wide receiver depth. Puka Nacua and Davante Adams have combined for 36 catches for 589 yards and two touchdowns. All other wide receivers combined on the Rams’ roster have 10 catches for 151 yards and one touchdown.

The Rams haven't gotten much out of their WRs not named Puka Nacua and Davante Adams.

Puka and Davante: 36 catches, 589 yards, 2 TDs

All other WRs combined: 10 catches, 151 yards, 1 TD
— Cameron DaSilva (@camdasilva) October 5, 2026

While it is true that Ferguson is technically the Rams’ third wide receiver, that becomes an issue when he’s hurt, as he will be over the next three weeks at minimum.

Despite the Rams operating out of 11 personnel at their highest rate in almost a year, they didn’t get any production out of a third wide receiver. Konata Mumpfield, Jordan Whittington, and Tutu Atwell combined for three catches on six targets for 19 yards. None of those players had more than one catch or more than 10 yards.

When the Rams last operated out of 11 personnel on more than 80 percent of their offensive snaps in Week 5 last year, Atwell had two catches for 72 yards and Whittington added two catches for 33 yards as well. There was a lot more balance.

Konata Mumpfield Hasn’t Done Enough

This season, Mumpfield has very clearly been the Rams’ third wide receiver in the pecking order. He’s played 49.5 percent of the team’s offensive snaps. Last week, it was Whittington with more snaps, but for the most part, it has been Mumpfield.

Among wide receivers with at least 50 routes run, Mumpfield’s 42.9 percent targeted success rate ranks 76th. Mumpfield has a -6.6 percent catch rate over expected via NFL Pro, while Whittington’s is -11.4 percent.

When targeting either player, Matthew Stafford is 8-for-17 for 124 yards with one touchdown and an interception. His passer rating when targeting Mumpfield is 65.2 while it’s 74.3 when targeting Whittington. Mumpfield has an EPA per target of -0.11 and Whittington’s is -0.27. There are things to like about Mumpfield, but he hasn’t been good enough at the catch point and remains incredibly inefficient. He’s averaged 1.17 yards per route run, ranking 61st out of 81 qualifying wide receivers.

Rams Can’t Keep Ignoring Their Need at Wide Receiver

Again, just because the Rams may not need a third wide receiver as often when the offense is fully healthy doesn’t mean there isn’t a need for a more experienced and reliable third wide receiver in the offense. While no team has operated out of 13 personnel more than the Rams, five other teams have run more than 20 percent of their offense out of 13 personnel and have a reliable third pass catcher at wide receiver.

Team	13P Usage	WR3	Yards	Yards Per Route Run	Targeted Success %
Rams	53%	Konata Mumpfield	112	1.17	42.9%
Bills	39%	Keon Coleman	217	2.36	75.0%
Cardinals	37%	Kendrick Bourne	108	0.86	64.3%
Packers	30%	Sky Moore	35	0.59	30.8%
Texans	25%	Xavier Hutchinson	166	1.46	42.3%
Bears	22%	Luther Burden	219	2.01	51.7%

It’s no longer about these players simply needing an opportunity to prove themselves. As the third wide receivers in the offense, this has been their opportunity and what they’ve done with it. It hasn’t been good enough and it almost cost the Rams on Sunday against the Eagles before Kyren Williams got involved in the passing game.

The Rams don’t need a third wide receiver to become a featured part of the offense. However, they need a player they can rely on to step in when needed. That wasn’t the case when the Rams had to resort to 11 personnel against the Eagles. The Rams are continuing to bet that Mumpfield, Whittington, and Atwell will provide enough, but that hasn’t paid off. There hasn’t been much evidence to suggest that level of confidence is warranted.

Injuries forced the Rams away from their preferred 13 personnel identity against the Eagles, and when they needed their wide receiver depth to step up, nobody did. The Rams escaped Philadelphia with a win, but they may not be as fortunate the next time.

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