Los Angeles Rams: What Is Pharoh Cooper’s Role?
By Matt LaPan
Can Pharoh Cooper rule the new Los Angeles Rams new-look offense? That depends on his role and relationship with Jared Goff.
The Los Angeles Rams have an offense full of new talent as they enter 2016. They currently have 12 offensive skill position players with less than one year of NFL experience, including nine rookies for rookie quarterback Jared Goff to throw to.
Related Story: 30 Best Draft Picks of All-Time
One of these young skill players that is expected to have a major impact on the 2016 season is receiver Pharoh Cooper. The 5-11, 4th Round pick out of South Carolina enters a wide receiver group that has a huge need for play makers to take some of the focus off of Tavon Austin.
With so many new parts to the offense, one has to wonder what role Cooper will play in the Rams’ offense in 2016. Cooper’s strengths come in his quick feet and crisp routes along with fearlessness over the middle of the field. With that said, he is likely the intermediate threat and chain-mover that Goff will rely on in 2016.
Tavon Austin will continue to be the impact player at the line of scrimmage and in the screen game – that has been evident with his 9.1 yards per catch in 2015 which ranked him 119th in the NFL. He is a dual-threat option that is just as likely to impact the run game on sweeps or reverses as he is in the pass game. Keeping his role close to the line of scrimmage will benefit both his numbers and Jared Goff’s confidence.
The deep routes will be handled by Kenny Britt and fellow rookie Mike Thomas. Britt was 2nd in the NFL in yards per catch with an 18.9 yard average on his 36 receptions. Thomas averaged 19.6 yards per reception on 71 catches at Southern Miss in 2015 – a mark that would have placed him 2nd in the NFL, ahead of Britt and just 0.5 yards per reception behind NFL leader Torrey Smith according to Pro-Football-Reference.com.
That leaves a huge void for Cooper to fill. His 14.7 yards per reception in 2015 would have placed him 29th in the NFL in 2015, between Steve Smith Sr and Alshon Jeffery. It places him within striking distance of noted chain-movers Emmanuel Sanders, Amari Cooper, Willie Snead and Travis Benjamin per Pro-Football-Reference.com.
This intermediate approach will fit quite well with Goff, who averaged 13.8 yards per completion in 2015 at California. He has a quick delivery and great accuracy. This will mesh quite well with Coopers quick, crisp routes and toughness. The two have the chance to fill a void that the Rams offense was sorely missing in 2015. They will also benefit from the play action game that Todd Gurley helps provide – making a potentially lethal combination.
Adding Cooper to the NFL’s worst passing offense will also help the entire offense. His presence over the middle will help keep safeties out of the box against Todd Gurley, allowing the second-year running back more open lanes. With the Rams offense operating as a run-first offense, having the pass game open run lanes should lead to better success and fewer hits for Gurley and Goff.
Related Story: Los Angeles Rams: Good, Bad and More for 2016
Cooper is also a great red zone threat. His quick feet and routes allow him to snap off short routes on the goal line – something the Rams were limited doing in 2015. This will help open up plays for Austin and Gurley, leading to more points for the worst NFL offense in 2015.