Rams head coach Sean McVay says he’s never had to manage a team dealing with as many injuries to important players as this year’s team.
McVay said on Wednesday that the only year comparable was 2022, when the defending Super Bowl champion Rams slumped to 5-12 thanks in large part to a spate of injuries. But this year, McVay says, has been even worse than that.
“I’ve been the coach for 10 years, and I know 2022 was a season that we had a lot of injuries, particularly at the offensive line, but this has been more than any year, including ’22, with the amount of guys out at different spots that are key and critical to our identity, on offense, on defense and on special teams,” McVay said.
The most recent injury McVay was discussing was the loss of cornerback Jaylen Watson, whom McVay praised as having had an outstanding season to this point, but has now been lost for the season with a shoulder injury. Other key players currently on injured reserve include defensive end Myles Garrett, wide receiver Davante Adams, defensive tackle Kobie Turner, tight end Terrance Ferguson, defensive tackle Poona Ford and kicker Blake Grupe.
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is also dealing with a sore arm, and although Stafford said he’s going to be fine, he did acknowledge the Rams have been through a lot with injuries.
“That’s just the way it goes. That’s NFL football. I know everybody in that training room is doing everything they can to be back as fast as they can, and when and if those guys can do that, we’ll welcome them with open arms and it’ll be a nice boost for us when they get back,” Stafford said.
After entering the season as the favorites to win the Super Bowl, the Rams are now 4-4. Getting healthy and staying healthy will be key to playing better over the second half of the season.