Puka Nacua’s knee injury is pushing the Rams into a corner, and that corner may finally open the door for rookie CJ Daniels.
With Nacua likely headed to injured reserve, Davante Adams already on IR, and tight end Terrance Ferguson now dealing with a new hamstring injury, Los Angeles suddenly needs bodies at receiver. That shortage is creating the clearest path yet for Daniels, who has barely been used since arriving as a sixth-round pick.
Sean McVay said Monday that Daniels is set for a much larger role after logging only six snaps so far.
"With the way that he's worked consistently, the way that he shows up day in and day out, I think if you ask a lot of our DBs about him, they'd give you a bunch of positive feedback because of the looks, the challenges," McVay told reporters."He's got a lot of maturity for a young guy. He's a guy that, no question about it, will get an opportunity to play more snaps moving forward."
That opportunity has been a long time coming. Daniels has appeared in each of the last three games, but he still hasn’t been targeted. Even after Adams went down, the Rams have been slow to spread the ball beyond Nacua, and the players who did get chances haven’t exactly forced the issue.
Daniels has sat near the bottom of the depth chart, which makes his limited usage even more puzzling given the state of the roster. The Rams traded up to take him with the 197th pick, yet the rookie has been treated like a deep reserve rather than a player who might be needed sooner than expected.
That has been the Rams’ pattern with rookies not named Nacua. Max Klare, the team’s second-round pick out of Ohio State, is also still waiting on his first target. Daniels has followed the same script, even with injuries piling up around him.
Now the numbers are forcing the issue. The Rams started the year with seven receivers, but only four remain on the active roster. Those four have combined for 20 catches and 273 receiving yards, a thin output for a team that suddenly has very little margin for error.
Daniels may not be a game-changer right away, but he has done enough to earn a look. At Miami last season, he wasn’t a burner, but he did show dependable hands and a knack for finding the end zone, finishing with seven touchdowns, second on the team. In the preseason, he built solid chemistry with both Ty Simpson and Stetson Bennett.
He likely hasn’t had as many reps with Matthew Stafford and the first unit in practice, but after a Week 9 performance marked by a wave of drops, Stafford could use a reliable target if Daniels can provide one.
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