Rams News: LA's Offensive Talent Makes Top 10 in Latest ESPN Rankings

The Los Angeles Rams find themselves inside the top 10 of ESPN’s latest offensive talent rankings.

East Rutherford, NJ December 31, 2023 -- The Rams offense celebrates their second TD of the first half scored by Cooper Kupp of the RamsThe New York Giants host the Los Angeles Rams on December 31, 2023 at at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ. / Chris Pedota, NorthJersey.com / USA

The Los Angeles Rams are looking to be among the most dominant teams in the 2024 season, and a big reason they could do just that is due to their offensive weapons. The Rams have among the best weapons in the NFL, and that was proven last season by the emergence of wide receiver Puka Nacua and running back Kyren Williams. These two had All-Pro seasons and led the L.A. offense to heights we haven't seen since former running back Todd Gurley. 

The Rams are no joke on offense, and ESPN's Bill Barnwell is on board. In his latest ranking of the NFL's offensive playermakers, Barnwell ranked Los Angeles No. 9, a massive jump from where he had the offense last season. 

"It helps when a team finds two of the most valuable contributors at their positions on Day 3 of the draft," Barnwell writes. "Kyren Williams and Puka Nacua emerged as stars last season, accelerating Los Angeles' offensive rebuild and helping create a path forward for a team that had been overly reliant on Cooper Kupp. When Kupp, Nacua and Williams all wereon the field together, Matthew Stafford posted a 72.1 QBR. That would have been the third-best mark in football over the full season, within one point of leaders Brock Purdy and Dak Prescott."

"I'm a little hesitant to push the Rams higher out of concerns surrounding two of those standouts," Barnwell notes. "Kupp was on the way to repeating (or at least approximating) his stunning 2021 campaign during the first half of 2022, but he wasn't on the same level after returning from his ankle injury. He averaged a whopping 3.2 yards per route run in 2021 and 2.5 in 2022, which would still be elite performance. He was down below 2.0 yards per route run last season, and while that's still starting-caliber work, he is 31 and also missed time with a hamstring injury."

"Williams is also an injury concern," Barnwell notes. "After breaking his foot as a rookie, Williams was held back from OTAs with another foot issue. Coach Sean McVay said the injury is nothing to be concerned about, but McVay isn't exactly known for being truthful about injuries, even as games are going on in real time. Williams has missed time in both of his seasons with ankle injuries. I'm hoping he plays 17 games in 2024, but that can't be the expectation heading into camp."

"There's a big drop-off from that top three, at least on paper," Barnwell cautions. "Demarcus Robinson was fine as the third wideout in 2023, but the next wideout up would be Tutu Atwell. Rookie Blake Corum is the primary backup behind Williams. And at tight end, while the Rams signed Colby Parkinson to a surprisingly large deal in free agency, Tyler Higbee tore his ACL during the postseason and probably won't be ready for Week 1. L.A. can be elite if everyone is on the field, but I'm a little nervous about that happening consistently." 

The stars are there, but the concerns are evident as well. Will Nauca be able to continue this stellar play? Will Copper Kupp ever reach elite status again? Will Williams be able to stay healthy? And can Blake Corum establish himself right out of the gate? These are legitimate questions that will be answered soon. If the answer to many of these questions is a 'No,' the Rams will be in trouble in more ways than one in 2024. 

More Rams: How LA Can Maximize Young Wideout