What was Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Van Jefferson going to be as he entered the 2022 NFL season before a career marred by injury was slowed by a knee problem?
Some of the adjectives that have been thrown around and that are being thrown around now, given that he's healthy - and now that the Rams are in need? "Brilliant'' is mentioned. "Outstanding'' comes up. "Our best deep threat'' rings true.
And "due for a breakout year'' is what the Rams thought going into 2022 ... and what the Rams now think again.
Writes colleague Adam Caplan: "Some with the team thought the 2022 season would be a breakout one for Jefferson due to the outstanding offseason he put together. Plus, a coaching source said he was quickly becoming the team’s best deep threat at the position before his injury. ... Many with the Rams still believe he’s poised again for a breakout season (in 2023).
Jefferson, a 2020 second-round pick, missed the first six games of the 2022 season due to the knee surgery. Combine that with the fact starting QB Matthew Stafford missed eight games of his own due to his own injury. ... and it's easy to see why the Rams are still waiting for Jefferson to replicate and exceed what he did in 2021, when he totaled 50 receptions on 89 targets for 802 yards and six touchdowns for a Rams club that won the Super Bowl.
"Yeah, he's a really good player," Stafford said recently. "It was unfortunate what happened last year, just missing some time and having to battle through what he battled through. He's a resilient kid and has done a nice job coming back, working himself into the mental position and the shape that he's in right now."
Los Angeles this year? A healthy Cooper Kupp is the top guy. But Jefferson, 27, is in a crowd with Ben Skowronek, Demarcus Robinson, Tutu Atwell and even tight end Tyler Higbee as candidates who could compete to become L.A.’s second-leading receiver.
In that Super Bowl season, as Caplan points out, Jefferson was a top-six guy in sixth in yards per reception, putting him in a class in that category with the likes of Deebo Samuel and Ja’Marr Chase.
The 2023 Rams don't need Van Jefferson to be Deebo or Ja'Marr. Being what a healthy Van Jefferson can be could be enough.
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