Drew Bennett will spend the better part of his second season with the Rams on the sideline, injured with a broken foot. Bennett dealt with injuries last season and played in just 14 games.
The Rams were thin, at least in terms of veterans, at wide receiver heading into the season opening debacle at Philadelphia. The solution in my mind is simple: use Keenan Burton in his stead.
Burton played well in the preseason, showing a grasp of the playbook at timing with his quarterbacks. If Bulger can get settled behind the line, that's a huge advantage for a team that struggled with timing and rhythm in their first game. More importantly, the Rams could use a hungry young player thrust into a prime role. In case you didn't notice, the Rams lacked a little bit of that fire on Sunday. Nobody is under the illusion that Burton will be flawless, far from it. Rookies make mistakes. Thing is, it can't really get any worse than Sunday, playing an unjaded rookie eager to establish himself can give the Rams a boost in the morale department, something they desperately need.
Burton's also in a spot where replacing the veteran in front of him makes the Rams a little better. That's not the case for Chris Long, who could replace Leonard Little on the right side this week if Little's hamstring injury keeps him out. However, Long has shown a good motor, and while he's definitely not an adequate replacement for Little (yet) at least giving someone with passion the chance to have a bigger role might be contagious for the other players. I know this one's a stretch, believe me, but what else do the Rams have?