During Sunday's Virtual Tailgate kicking off Rams Training Camp presented by UNIFY Financial Credit Union, one topic of conversation with Rams legend Torry Holt and team reporter Sarina Morales was all the weapons quarterback Jared Goff will have around him on offense this fall.
Goff, who was joined on the program by tight end Tyler Higbee and wide receivers Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods, is so confident in his supporting cast, he's setting his sights high in 2020 – having three 1,000-yard pass-catchers.
"That's my goal this year," he told Holt and Morales Sunday evening.
There's reason to believe it can be accomplished, and it's not just because ESPN ranked L.A.'s offensive arsenal No. 11 in the NFL.
Woods is aiming for his third-consecutive 1,000-yard season. Kupp, meanwhile hit that milestone for the first time in his career last season behind a team-high 1,161. Higbee's monster December paved the way for a franchise tight end single season record of 734 receiving yards. Don't forget about fourth-year pro Josh Reynolds or rookie wide receiver Van Jefferson, either.
Besides having talented receivers at his disposal, what's also working in Goff's favor is passing volume. The five starting quarterbacks who helped produce three 1,000 yard receivers averaged 543.4 attempts each season; Goff has averaged 554.7 across his three seasons as a full-time starter.
At the same time, Goff and the Rams will join rare company if they can somehow achieve the feat.
According to research compiled by the Dallas Morning News' Michael Gehlken, only five teams in NFL history have produced a trio of 1,000-yard receivers in a single season. The last time it was accomplished was 2008, when former Rams quarterback Kurt Warner did so with the Cardinals and wide receivers Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin and Steve Breaston.
Coincidentally, as Gehlken's tweet shows, the Cowboys also have the same expectations of their high-powered offense, which should make for an exciting Sunday Night Football season-opener against Dallas at SoFi Stadium.
Will Goff and the Rams offense make history? That remains to be seen, but their first step toward doing so comes Sept. 13 at 5:20 p.m. pacific time on NBC.
