What could the Rams wide receiver room look like in 2025?

How will the Rams look to build their wide receiver room in 2025?

The Los Angeles Rams made the shocking decision this week to trade wide receiver Cooper Kupp this offseason. Given Kupp’s near $30-million cap-hit, the decision is more shocking than surprising. However, as discussed previously, it was the first domino that needed to fall to fix the Rams offense this offseason.

Following the season, Rams head coach Sean McVay was quoted saying,

“I think the biggest thing is there would be a little bit more versatility…How do you utilize the offseason and how are you making yourself more versatile from a personnel perspective.”

It’s pretty clear that changes are coming to the offense and the personnel within it. The Rams aren’t simply going to run it back with the same group of wide receivers or offensive play-makers and hope for a different result. It’s pretty telling that the offense lacks explosiveness and playmakers when they ranked ninth in success rate, but only 15th in EPA per play. From a play-to-play perspective, they were a successful unit. They finished 10th in DVOA. However, they also had the fifth most plays per drive, but ranked just 15th in scores per drive.

The goal for this offseason is going to be to get more explosive. McVay needs to find ways to make things easier for the offense. The decision to move on from Kupp speaks to the team completely shifting what they want the overall identity of the offense to look like.

Heading into the 2025 offseason, the Rams will have Puka Nacua and Jordan Whittington as the only starting wide receivers in the offense. Players like Quintez Cephus and Xavier Smith are under contract, but aren’t necessarily part of the long-term plan. Demarcus Robinson, TuTu Atwell, and Tyler Johnson are all free agents.

Looking at those three free agents, it’s hard to see the Rams running to the table to bring any of those three back. While Atwell has shown an ability to produce when given opportunities, it feels like it’s time for both sides to go their separate ways. It’s become clear that when all receivers are healthy, Atwell simply isn’t someone that consistently gets worked into a game plan. Again, that’s not to say he hasn’t produced. The former second-round pick finished with 2.19 yards per route which ranked 19th in the NFL.

That moves us to Demarcus Robinson. Robinson was brought in as a late offseason addition in 2023 and had his place in the offense as a lengthier receiver on the outside. With that said, it may be time to move on from him as well. Robinson has shown that he is no more than a third receiver in an offense. Over the final seven games of the season, he caught just seven of 21 targets. His -6.7% catch rate over expected was the seventh-worst among wide receivers with at least 50 targets. Robinson’s 51.7% catch rate was the fourth-worst in the NFL. He’s been solid at times, but this is a spot where the Rams can upgrade.

Finally, that leaves Tyler Johnson. It would make sense to bring Johnson back as depth. He’ll be 27 at the start of the season and got more time in the offense at the end of the year. The Rams can potentially upgrade here with another free agent or in the draft. However, out of the three on this list, he is the one that makes the most sense.

Nacua and Whittington both provide “Z” and slot options in the Rams offense. For the most part, Nacua operates in the “Z” role as the flanker who motions pre-snap into the slot with a lot of in-breaking routes.

With that said, the Rams really need an “X” receiver with size on the outside as well as some depth. The good news here is that there will be plenty of options available in both free agency and the draft. It’s possible that the Rams could also look to make a trade.

In free agency, Tee Higgins is the name that many will be watching. Given his experience in Zac Taylor’s offense which is similar to McVay’s, he makes the most sense. Still the Bengals could look for a tag-and-trade situation. Garrett Wilson is a player to also watch as someone who may be available for the right price. Zay Jones may not be an exciting name, but fits more in the Demarcus Robinson role. The same can be said about Olamide Zaccheaus and Joshua Palmer.

Players like Zaccheaus and Palmer may not be exciting names, but they may be low-value free agents that can out-play their contracts. Zaccheaus finished 11th in yards after the catch per reception last year. That’s an aspect that the Rams lacked at the wide receiver position. He was also in the top-25 in yards after contact and catch rate.

Palmer played in a run-heavy offense, but provides the speed on the outside that the Rams have lacked at the “X”. He ranked fifth in average depth of target and finished inside the top-20 in yards per target. Palmer consistently gets open. His separation score according to Fantasy Points Data ranked 18th and was right in line with DeVonta Smith and Jameson Williams.

Even if the Rams sign a free agent, they will likely still draft a wide receiver with one of their first three picks. In the case that they sign a player like Higgins, that player would likely be taken in the third round. However, if the Rams are only able to get a Zaccheaus or Palmer, taking a wide receiver in the first round makes a lot of sense.

A wide receiver in the first round could be someone like Emeka Egbuka who is similar to what Robert Woods would have been in this offense. Luther Burden III is an explosive player and is exactly what the Rams need on the outside. He provides versatility and is a good route-runner. While slightly more of a reach, Matthew Golden is also an option at 26.

In the case that the Rams wait until later in the draft. Jack Bech feels like a Rams wide receiver. Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins could also be potential options that fit what they typically look for at the position.

Looking at what a top-four wide receiver group could end up looking like, there are several permutations. The overall point here is that the Rams wide receiver room is going to look much different than it did a year ago. With Nacua likely a pillar moving forward, the Rams are going to build that room around him.

Option 1

• Puka Nacua
• Tee Higgins
• Jordan Whittington
• Jack Bech

Obviously this would be the scenario in which the Rams sign a big name wide receiver and then draft a player later on Day Two of the draft. You could swap in Garrett Wilson here or Noel and Higgins. The Rams would have their “X” and “Z” wide receivers in Nacua and Higgins with Bech as the likely slot guy.

Option 2

• Puka Nacua
• Luther Burden III
• Josh Palmer
• Jordan Whittington

The Rams don’t necessarily get their star at the “X” here in Palmer, but it is an upgrade over Demarcus Robinson. Burden becomes the slot receiver with Nacua as the “Z”. With Burden, the Rams add an explosive piece in the offense that can score on any given play. Similarly, someone like Egbuka or Golden could slot in there. Zaccheus or another low-value free agent could fit into Palmer’s slot.