Remember 48 hours ago when, in a moment of collective internet pearl-clutching, the Twitter mob dismissed the Rams’ surprise pursuit of Odell Beckham as a “luxury” signing, the type of showy, “look-at-me” transaction made famous by their exasperatingly wealthy MLB counterpart, the Los Angeles Dodgers? Well that faux outrage did not age well as Beckham will now be subject to a baptism by fire, jumping right into the deep end of L.A.’s receiving pool.
Before the ink could even dry on Beckham’s one-year, $4.25-million contract, the Rams were hit with the devasting news that Robert Woods will miss the remainder of 2021 with a torn ACL suffered during Friday’s practice. The perennially underappreciated Woods has tallied 311 catches since the start of 2018 including 45 for 556 yards and four touchdowns this season. A local product who starred at USC before going pro in 2013, the former second-round pick had been on pace for his third career 1,000-yard receiving season prior to Friday’s mishap.
This isn’t the first time the Rams have been shaken by a major injury, regrouping on the fly after losing workhorse Cam Akers to an Achilles tear this summer. Luckily, the Rams had enough backfield depth to survive his absence, pivoting to former unanimous All-American Darrell Henderson (706 yards from scrimmage, seven combined rushing and receiving scores). L.A.’s pass-catching corps is similarly well-stocked with Beckham flanking second-year deep threat Van Jefferson and prized slot receiver Cooper Kupp, the NFL’s current leader in catches (74), touchdowns (10) and receiving yards (1,019).
Coach Sean McVay surely would have preferred to ease Beckham (who arrived in Los Angeles Friday) in, but with Woods unavailable, the Rams newcomer could be thrust into a larger than expected role when he debuts Monday night in San Francisco. For all his early-career accolades, the former Rookie of the Year has looked surprisingly ordinary of late, failing to register a touchdown in his six games with Cleveland earlier this year. Will McVay’s offensive genius bring out the best in his new reclamation projection, or is the injury-prone Beckham beyond saving? We’ll be better equipped to answer that in the coming weeks.
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