The Rams don’t usually hand rookies much rope, and that’s exactly why the slow starts for CJ Daniels and Max Klare shouldn’t come as a shock. Los Angeles drafted just five players in 2026, then quickly moved on from nose tackle Tim Keenan III, put tackle Keagen Trost on injured reserve, and appears unlikely to give quarterback Ty Simpson any meaningful snaps this year. This is a team that rarely plays first-year guys unless it has to.
Klare has at least gotten on the field in a limited way, logging six special teams snaps. Daniels, on the other hand, still hasn’t appeared in a game. Given the injuries piling up at receiver and tight end, that’s starting to feel more notable.
The Rams offense has moved the ball well enough on the ground and through the air, but it still doesn’t quite look like the version fans got used to. Matthew Stafford’s 2025 accuracy, the same accuracy that fueled his MVP season, has dipped early. Davante Adams has been the lone veteran consistently showing up on game day, which makes life easier for opposing defensive backs.
That’s where Daniels and Klare come in. Because neither rookie has been used on offense, defenses don’t have any real tape-driven answer for how to handle them.
That uncertainty could matter fast. One explosive play is often enough to force a defense to hesitate, and that kind of hesitation can change how an offense is defended for the rest of the day.
The preseason numbers at least suggest the Rams have options. Daniels connected with various Rams quarterbacks 15 times for 128 yards, while Klare caught 12 passes for 55 yards.
Those totals won’t jump off the page, but the 27 combined catches stand out when stacked against the regular-season pace of the rest of the passing game. Only Adams, with 18 catches, Williams with 11, and Tyler Higbee with 10 have matched that kind of volume.
Los Angeles is not about to redesign the offense around two rookies. But if either one starts producing, the Rams already have reason to believe they can handle more. That matters with Stafford sitting just over 60 percent on completions and with the passing game looking for a cleaner short-term answer.
The timing is obvious, too. The Rams need a win in Week 4, and the offense is dealing with enough injuries that the usual caution around rookies may not make much sense right now.
Terrance Ferguson is already out against the Eagles with an ankle injury, and Colby Parkinson is questionable. With the receiving and tight end rooms thinned out, it may be time to spread the work around instead of leaning on the same small group of healthy players.
In other words, this is the moment to get fresh players involved.
In Other News...
Rams Enter Eagles Test With A Sudden Special Teams Problem
The Rams head into their Week 4 matchup with the Eagles carrying the usual injury baggage, but the special teams picture changed in a hurry this week. Los Angeles put tight end Terrance Ferguson on injured reserve, waived punt returner Xavier Smith and promoted running back Dean Connors to the active roster, a set of moves that puts extra attention on how the Rams handle the kicking game going into a matchup that already has plenty of personnel questions on both sides.
Philadelphia is dealing with its own absences, including DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert, but the Rams immediate concern is more basic: who handles returns and how cleanly the operation holds together. Those decisions tend to matter most when the games get tight, and with another short-week style test looming against a banged-up opponent, Los Angeles suddenly has one more area to sort out before kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
Rams Just Watched A Massive Eagles Threat Suddenly Leave The Game
Saquon Barkleys afternoon against the Rams changed in an instant in Week 4, when the Eagles star suffered a right hamstring injury on a non-contact run and headed to the sideline. Barkley was listed as questionable to return after leaving the field favoring his leg, and Philadelphia had to quickly reshuffle its backfield with Tank Bigsby and Will Shipley stepping in.
For the Rams, the timing mattered as much as the injury itself. Barkley is the kind of player who can force an offense to stay on schedule and stress a defense every snap, so his exit immediately altered how the Eagles had to approach the rest of the game. Any setback involving a threat of that caliber is the sort of development a defense notices right away, even before the full impact becomes clear. [Read more 🡒]
Puka Nacuas Return Still Leaves Rams With One Big Concern
Puka Nacua was back on the field for the Rams in Week 4 against the Eagles after sitting out two games because of a pre-hernia injury that involved hip and groin soreness, a reminder of how careful Los Angeles has been trying to be with one of its most important receivers. Sean McVay has already clarified that Nacua does not have a full hernia, and the teams approach has been to manage the issue rather than push it.
Nacuas return mattered because he had already led the Rams in receptions and receiving yards in Week 1, and he still found a way to contribute against Philadelphia. The bigger concern now is less about whether he can play through it in the short term and more about how the Rams balance his value on the field with the risk of the injury lingering over the rest of the season. [Read more 🡒]