Los Angeles Rams Offense Shaken Up During Camp

    Written by: Tyler Zajac •

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    Injury Round Up

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    The Los Angeles Rams finished 10-7 last season. Good enough for second place in the NFC West and a wildcard weekend game that ended in a 24-23 loss to the Detroit Lions. Not a bad finish for a team who had gone 5-12 the previous year just 1 year after winning Super Bowl LVI. One of the major differences for the team was player health as the team finished with a bottom 5 Banged Up Score (The Predictors health score) after their 5-12 season at 53.9 (out of 100). Last year they were one of the highest in the league after the regular season going into that wildcard weekend with an 87.4. Healthy players usually equates to a longer season.

    The question: Should Rams fans be worried after the injuries so far in camp?

    Let’s start with the O-line.

    Jonah Jackson – LG – Shoulder Injury

    Originally listed as day-to-day it does seem as though Jackson will miss the entire preseason now due to a bruised left scapula. Jackson signed a $51 Million dollar deal this offseason despite injury concerns after dealing with multiple upper and lower extremity injuries last year. The thought currently is that the scapula injury shouldn’t prevent him from starting the season which is good news for the team however the injury itself is a bit worrisome due to symptoms. A contusion or “Bruise” of the scapula will cause swelling and pain to that area and could impact both the bone itself and surrounding muscle tissue. This then leads to weakness and muscle imbalance. Resting will help him reduce that swelling and pain but it will take time to return to top strength and ability. For any of us who don’t play at the top level of sport this may not feel like much but when going against the best in the world, any disadvantage makes life that much harder and will certainly be something to watch early on.

    Alaric Jackson – LT and Rob Havenstein – RT – Ankle Injuries

    Jackson and Havenstein have both now injured their ankles in training camp and are both “week-to-week” with Jackson being downgraded to that designation from the original “Day-to-day”. This means that the injury to the ankles is more severe than a simple ankle sprain. Chances are they aren’t the stereotypical high ankle, but it is possible that they do have some elements of a high ankle involved. The problem here is threefold. First, we now have cluster injuries at that position which doesn’t set up well for the season. Three of your starting five linemen are now dealing with injuries at the same time which leads me to the second issue of practice. Your first team offense is getting in significantly less reps as a unit because you are missing three starters in arguably the most important unit on the field. Lastly, the chronic nature of these types of injuries. Ankle injuries have a nasty way sometimes of re-tweaking with a bad step or getting caught in a pile. With two of your starting five already sustaining ankle injuries there is a much higher chance of re-injury.

    Puka Nacua- WR – Knee Injury

    Puka Nacua was electric last year finishing the season with 1486 yards and 6 touchdowns. Unfortunately, the 2nd year wideout suffered a knee injury during a joint practice Sunday. There have been multiple reports about bone bruising and an injury to his PCL. He is also considered week to week but ESPN’s Adam Schefter has reported that it is not considered serious. Nacua was seen on the sideline with ice wrapped around his knee. The good news of course is that at this time it is not considered serious and that there is time to allow it to recover. The bad news is that knees re-swell (especially to injuries involving ligament damage) throughout a long season which could cause some missed plays and even missed games if Puka and the medical staff don’t let the knee recover fully. It’s the last thing the Rams offense needs.

    Along with the offense the Rams are also dealing with the season ending ACL injury to CB Derion Kendrick and CB Darious Williams’ Hamstring. Both were expected to start this season with Williams still expected to with the time to heal. McVay has already said they will not rush him back as this can be an injury that is tough in the CB position due to the explosiveness, quick deceleration and jumping needed along with a host of other skills.

    Hopefully for the Rams they will be able to weather the storm and start the season close to full strength. If there was any optimism it should be in the fact that normally teams who have early injuries can find a way to fit together with the depth at the needed positions and that the injuries thus far outside Kendrick’s ACL are not season ending. They start the season off with last year’s wildcard opponent the Detroit Lions.

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