Rams’ Van Jefferson to miss more than NFL opener against Bills: report

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Van Jefferson won’t be available on Thursday night against the Buffalo Bills, and he isn’t expected to be on the field in the weeks to come.

Jefferson is reportedly going to miss more than Week 1, per CBS Sports. 

Jefferson, who was the only player on the Rams’ injury report heading into this week, had offseason knee surgery to repair a minor ailment in early August. While the procedure went well, there is no timetable for his return. 

The 26-year-old wasn’t practicing at all this week, which didn’t look good considering the early game.

Now head coach Sean McVay will look to his depth chart immediately to begin the season, with wide receiver Ben Skowronek likely getting some more reps than usual Thursday night at SoFi Stadium. 

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The defending Super Bowl champions did upgrade in the wide receiver department this offseason, adding veteran Allen Robinson II from the Chicago Bears. This came after Odell Beckham Jr., who tore his ACL again in the Super Bowl, became a free agent. 

Along with the NFL Offensive Player of the Year, Cooper Kupp, quarterback Matthew Stafford will still have many options to throw to against a stingy Bills defense.

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The Rams will also be raising their Super Bowl banner prior to the game at SoFi. They defeated the Cincinnati Bengals in the same stadium in February to be crowned champions.

Jefferson, a second-round pick out of Florida in the 2020 NFL Draft, started all 17 games for Los Angeles last season. He hauled in 50 receptions for 802 yards and six touchdowns, using his great speed to catch defenders off guard. 

Jefferson will look to continue doing that when he returns to the field for his third NFL season.