National Football League

Rams coach Sean McVay looks to accelerate development of young roster

Published Oct. 10, 2023 5:58 p.m. ET

Not much was expected of the Los Angeles Rams this season after a 5-12 campaign last year, as head coach Sean McVay leads his team through a rebuilding effort with one of the youngest rosters in the NFL.

But the Rams are 2-3 through five games, hanging tough against the league's last two undefeated teams this season in competitive losses to the San Francisco 49ers and the Philadelphia Eagles at SoFi Stadium.

However, McVay isn't taking any moral victories from those setbacks. He remains focused on fixing what ails the Rams as they prepare to host the Arizona Cardinals in another NFC West division tilt on Sunday (4:25 p.m. ET on FOX).

Specifically, McVay said he needs to accelerate the development of his younger players, so that they are more assignment correct and prepared to execute in critical moments of the game, especially against the NFL's best teams.

"Do I expect perfection? Absolutely not," McVay said. "But the margin for error against those really good teams like we've played in the first five weeks of the season is very small.

"But I've seen a lot of really encouraging glimpses. Now the challenge is: How do we accelerate our ability to play at a consistently high level, one quarter, two quarters, oh and then by the way, third and the fourth quarter so that we're able to finish out games? And so that's what we're hunting up."

McVay pointed to a couple of game-changing moments in the second half of L.A.'s 23-14 loss to the Eagles last week as prime examples of his team not seizing the moment: an interception by defensive back Ahkello Witherspoon in the third quarter and a Duke Shelley pass breakup in the end zone in the fourth quarter that kept it a one-score game at 20-14.

In both instances, McVay's offense failed to turn those opportunities into points. The Rams did not score in the second half and had just eight possessions in the game as Philadelphia's ball-control offense dominated time of possession.

"I don't think it's exclusive to a young team," McVay said. "I think it's really with any team. But what I like is that when you look at it, there's opportunities to be able to execute in those moments.

"I think when you look at a game and how it unfolds and you ask yourself, ‘Are you asking things that we can actually execute? Or can we not execute it?’ And I've seen enough things over five weeks that the answer is yes. And it's how we really put it together and how we really understand that it's all 11 playing to the best of their ability."

One area where the Rams are executing at a high level is at wide receiver. Cooper Kupp returned from a hamstring injury and played like he had never left, finishing with eight receptions for 118 receiving yards on 12 targets.

What does Kupp's return mean for Puka Nacua, Matthew Stafford?

Rookie Puka Nacua had been on a historic pace in Kupp's absence, with 36 catches through his first four NFL games. Even with Kupp back in the lineup, Nacua still got his share of touches, finishing with seven receptions (on 11 targets) for 71 yards and the first touchdown of his pro career.

McKay called having two prolific receivers like Kupp and Nacua in the lineup together a "champagne problem," and expects the offense to continue to evolve with both playmakers.

"I thought they both did a nice job," McVay said. "I think there's always going to be room for improvement. But whether they complement each other or not, they're two really good football players that we feel good about having, and we've got to continue to do a good job utilizing their skills."

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Because of the emergence of Nacua and Tutu Atwell, the Rams moved on from former starting receiver Van Jefferson. They traded the Florida product to the Atlanta Falcons on Tuesday, along with a seventh-round selection in the 2025 draft, receiving a sixth-round selection in the 2025 draft in return.

Jefferson, who is in the final year of his rookie deal, played just two offensive snaps against the Eagles last week. For the season, he has eight catches for 108 receiving yards on 15 targets.

Selected No. 57 overall in the second round of the 2020 draft, Jefferson finished with 101 receptions for 1,499 yards and 10 touchdowns in four seasons with the Rams. He also played in six postseason contests and recorded 15 catches for 148 yards and one touchdown.

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.