Rams News: Matthew Stafford Says Fringe Roster WRs Will Make Team Better

Ricardo Klein | Aug 23, 2024

Aug 1, 2024; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) throws a ball during training camp at Loyola Marymount University. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports / Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Rams and star quarterback Matthew Stafford are ready to set the football world on fire as the 2024 season approaches. 

L.A. will look to build on their 2023 season and take the next step in the upcoming season. There is only one more preseason game left until the real games start. 

The Rams will take on the Houston Texans on Saturday on the road. Before the game, however, the Rams and Texans participated in a joint practice on Thursday, and the Rams looked relatively good. 

After practice, Stafford spoke to the media, and he had some positive words to share about the young wide receivers on the roster, especially Tyler Johnson, Xavier Smith, and L.A.'s 2024 sixth-round draft pick, Jordan Whittington. 

Stafford shared how far those three pass catchers, in particular, have come since the beginning. 

“Tyler was here last year and ‘Zay’ was too,” Stafford said. “Those guys kind of picked up where they came off. ‘J-Whitt’ does a great job of just being a sponge out there, trying to soak up as much as he can from those guys that have been there before him. All of them are physically talented in their own way and play to those strengths. That’s what you want to be as a football player. Know what you’re good at, do that, and work on the things that maybe you need to work on. Those guys come to work every single day with that attitude and it’s going to make our team better.”

The Rams still need a sixth wide receiver to fill the spot, and it will likely come down to either Smith or Johnson. 

It appears Whittington has done enough to secure his spot on the roster, in addition to the Rams drafting him this past April.  

Johnson, the former fifth-round draft pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020, has recorded two receptions on seven targets for 30 yards and zero touchdowns through two preseason games. 

Smith has recorded nine receptions on 12 targets for 67 receiving yards, with his longest being 22 yards on Saturday against the Chargers. 

The Rams' wide receiver room is filled to the brim with All-Pros Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp, followed by Demarcus Robinson and Tutu Atwell. Still, the NFL is an odd league, and things can change instantly, which is why Saturday's game will be crucial for L.A. to figure out who will earn the last wide receiver spot that is up for grabs. 

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