Rams are looking for DeSean Jackson to catch fire

THOUSAND OAKS — Wide receiver DeSean Jackson has been seeing little enactment and less passes the past fewer weeks, a inclination that coincides with the Rams enjoying little melodramatic occurrence connected heavy throws than they did earlier.

It’s hardly a large worry. The remainder of the passing crippled is humming with backmost Matthew Stafford and wide receiver Cooper Kupp. The discourtesy is the second-best successful the NFL, according to astatine slightest one analytics site.

And sometimes the menace of Jackson is arsenic adjuvant arsenic the world of the still-speedy 34-year-old, a origin the Rams had successful caput erstwhile they signed the Long Beach Poly High alum arsenic a escaped cause to assistance Stafford agelong opposing defenses.

“He’s done it astatine a truly precocious level for a agelong time,” Stafford said Wednesday arsenic the Rams (6-1) prepared to play the Houston Texans (1-6) astatine NRG Stadium connected Sunday. “He’s got large speed, quality to get down the field, way the football. So erstwhile he’s successful there, defenses decidedly wage attention.”

But Rams manager Sean McVay said helium wants to get Jackson successful determination much often.

On Jackson’s 8 receptions this play – from 15 balls thrown his way, successful his 100 violative plays – he’s averaging 27.6 yards. That’s the highest mean among NFL receivers with much than a fewer catches. It keeps him No. 1 successful vocation yards per reception (17.6) among progressive players.

Still, since a spectacular 75-yard onslaught from Stafford to Jackson for a touchdown successful the Week 3 triumph implicit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jackson’s drawback counts, walk targets and receptions person declined to four, 1 and zero successful the Week 7 triumph against the Detroit Lions.

“He does dictate wherever radical are alert of him, and radical volition enactment safeties up implicit the apical due to the fact that of that vertical threat,” McVay said Wednesday. “So adjacent though sometimes you mightiness not spot the idiosyncratic production, he’s opening up immoderate things (for shorter passes).”

Jackson wasn’t disposable to talk to reporters aft practice.

“I cognize that he’s going to privation to get much involved, conscionable similar immoderate subordinate would,” McVay said. “But he’s doing a bully occupation with the things helium tin control.”

So are Stafford and the offense.

They haven’t connected connected a agelong touchdown walk since Stafford’s 67-yarder to Van Jefferson and 56-yarder to Kupp successful the season-opening triumph implicit the Chicago Bears and Jackson’s game-breaker against the Bucs.

But Stafford is among the league leaders successful astir passing categories, and his yards downfield per walk (9.2, 4th successful the league) are a immense betterment implicit Jared Goff (6.5, 28th) past season. The NFL said Kupp is the archetypal subordinate successful the Super Bowl epoch with astatine slightest 800 receiving yards and 9 touchdown receptions done the archetypal 7 games. Robert Woods is up of his 2020 gait for yards, and Jefferson already has topped his rookie play production.

“We’re inactive going aft it,” Stafford said of the heavy ball. “Defenses are doing a large occupation of trying to support the apical down connected america and marque definite we person to spell a agelong tract (on abbreviated plays). If they bash that, we conscionable effort to exploit different areas of the tract that person a small spot of (unguarded) grass.”

McVay said 1 mode to usage Jackson’s velocity and agility is to person him instrumentality punts, since the coaches look to person fixed up connected rookie Tutu Atwell for now. Jackson dropped backmost for 2 punts against the Lions, neither returnable.

But getting Jackson much than 3 catches implicit 4 games, his caller production, would beryllium better.

The past clip helium seemed to slice from the offense, erstwhile helium was thrown nary passes successful the Week 2 triumph implicit the Indianapolis Colts, helium was targeted a season-high 5 times successful the adjacent game.

“I’d similar to beryllium capable to get DeSean much involved. It’s based connected the crippled program and antithetic things,” McVay said. “Our occupation is to effort to triumph the shot game, and there’s antithetic ways that we tin bash that.”

NOTES

Talking to reporters successful Denver, linebacker Kenny Young acknowledged disappointment successful being traded from the Rams to the Broncos connected Monday successful a woody that sent a 2024 late-round draught prime each way. “I mean, we were a squad that was connected a tally and I played a precise bully crippled and it was conscionable confusing for maine for a second,” Young said. “I deliberation it conscionable had to woody with (salary) headdress abstraction and the finances and there’s truly thing that they could person done astir it oregon I could person done astir it. So, it is simply a weird situation.” Young added: “I’m not chill with it, but I person to respect it due to the fact that they had nary different choice.” … Speaking of reactions to trades, Texans (and erstwhile Rams) wide receiver Brandin Cooks tweeted this aft reports that Houston is sending moving backmost Mark Ingram to the Saints: “This is (expletive). Such a joke.” … Five Rams starters missed signifier Wednesday, according to the Rams’ wounded report: near tackle Andrew Whitworth (knee), chemoreceptor tackle Sebastian Joseph-Day (pec), extracurricular linebacker Terrell Lewis (ribs), cornerback Robert Rochell (knee) and information Jordan Fuller (knee). McVay has said nary of those injuries is serious. But Whitworth’s is being monitored. “He’s making bully progress,” McVay said. “I deliberation I’ll person further clarity arsenic the week progresses.”

The Associated Press contributed to this story.