Rivera wants to get Cam Sims more involved in WFT's offense originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
For the first time in his career, Cam Sims entered training camp with the Washington Football Team with his roster spot practically secured. Sims did indeed make the roster, but his newfound security has not translated into much playing time over the first two games of the season.
Sims has played just 10 total offensive snaps in 2021 and has just one catch on the year. Yet, moving forward, head coach Ron Rivera wants the fourth-year receiver to be more involved in the offense.
“I think the thing is we got to get him on the field a little bit more, and that’s the truth of the matter,” Rivera told reporters on Tuesday. “Now, I know they’ve talked about it. The coaches have talked about that.”
Rivera was quick to point out that in Week 1, Washington realized its did not use running back J.D. McKissic enough. Offensive coordinator Scott Turner and his staff made a “conscious effort” to get McKissic the ball in Week 2, and the running back rewarded his club with a solid effort in the victory.
With several new additions to Washington’s offense, Rivera said that the first few weeks will serve as a learning experience as they find the best way to use each member of the unit.
“Those first couple of games is a learning experience just as much for us,” Rivera said. “We know who we have, but let’s make sure we’re using them.”
Rivera also emphasized that in Week 2, Washington’s offense was able to get a lot more players involved than it did the week prior. Against the Chargers in Week 1, Washington mainly relied on players that were with the team last year: Antonio Gibson, Terry McLaurin and Logan Thomas.
Against the Giants, several newcomers made big plays for the club, including Dyami Brown, Adam Humphries and Ricky Seals-Jones.
“If you look at the big difference from the first week to the second week, look at how many different guys got the ball thrown to them,” Rivera said. “When you look at that, you’ll see there’s a huge difference.”
Sims could very well be the next player to have his opportunity to shine, especially with Taylor Heinicke under center for the foreseeable future. In Washington’s playoff loss to Tampa Bay, Sims was Heinicke’s top target, as he finished with seven catches for 104 yards.
This past offseason, Rivera and his staff specialized in adding a lot of speed on both sides of the ball. As a result, Washington now has numerous playmakers on offense, something that has not been the case in a long time. Now, it’s about putting it all together and keeping defenses off balance.
“I think it’s what helps keep our offense diverse is who’s touching it and how many different people are,” Rivera said.
