One of the negative developments that helped the Rams go 5-12 last season was the limited availability of wide receiver Van Jefferson.
Jefferson had knee surgery during the offseason and then had another one in August that caused him to miss the first six games of the season. He didn’t catch a pass in his first two appearances and ended the year with 24 catches for 369 yards and three touchdowns.
This offseason has been going better for Jefferson. After the “tough, tough process” of last year, Jefferson told reporters this week that he “persevered” and is now “getting back to myself” while working with the rest of the team.
One player that Jefferson’s been working with is quarterback Matthew Stafford, who also missed offseason time last year. Jefferson thinks that’s a significant change as well.
“Oh yeah, I think that makes a huge difference,” Jefferson said, via the team’s website. “I think [it does] for all the guys that are out there throwing with Matt. He’s looking great, he’s always been great, so it’s just great to be out there with him again and see him healthy, and see him slinging it like he does. It’s good to just be out there and get some passes with him.”
The 2023 expectations for the Rams are pretty low at this point and healthy rebounds for Jefferson and Stafford would be helpful to their bid to outperform them come the fall.