The Rams have been easing their rookies in all season, but last week may have cracked the door open a little wider.
Against the Chargers, Los Angeles was without tight end Colby Parkinson and shifted from 11 personnel to more 13 personnel after halftime. That change meant more work for Max Klare, who ended up playing 25 snaps, with 20 of them coming after the break.
For much of the season, the Rams had treated Klare as not ready. Then Week 8 happened, and he showed he probably should have been on the field sooner.
That same question now hangs over wide receiver CJ Daniels.
Daniels was one of the standouts in training camp and the preseason, but he spent the first six weeks inactive and has logged only five offensive snaps over the last two games combined. On Monday, though, Sean McVay made it clear Daniels could be headed for a bigger role.
“There's a guy in CJ Daniels that's really done a hell of a job that you're going to see get more opportunities moving forward,” McVay said.
That’s the kind of opening Daniels has been waiting for, especially with Davante Adams out. He’s not walking in to replace Adams, and nobody should expect him to solve every issue in the passing game overnight. But if the Rams aren’t planning to chase help at wide receiver, Daniels looks like the next logical move.
He brings a different look than the receivers already in the mix. Daniels has more size than Konata Mumpfield and Tutu Atwell, and he can handle the “X” role. He offers something Atwell doesn’t - the ability to win over the middle - and something Mumpfield doesn’t - a bigger frame outside the numbers.
That showed up all offseason and carried into the preseason. Daniels posted 0.36 targets per route run in the preseason, which ranked 15th among wide receivers. He also came down with contested catches on three chances, using that size exactly the way the Rams hoped he would.
The problem is that the Rams’ depth at receiver has not produced enough. Mumpfield is averaging -0.32 EPA per target and has a targeted success rate of 38.1 percent. That’s simply not enough from that spot.
So the Rams are at the point where they need to find out whether Daniels can take what he showed in camp and turn it into real production once the games count. They may have waited too long to get Klare involved when the chance was there.
They shouldn’t make the same mistake with Daniels. If he can become a dependable piece, it would give the passing game a much-needed boost.
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