Team news: Los Angeles Rams | Page 21

Rams rookie running back Kyren Williams is set to miss a chunk of time after having surgery to repair a high-ankle sprain he suffered in the season opener and the team announced on Tuesday that he’ll be going on injured reserve as he recovers.

Williams will miss at least four games as a result of going on the list and word last Friday was that he should miss 6-8 weeks. Williams was injured covering a kickoff on the only snap he played in his first NFL regular season game.

Related players: Cam Akers, Darrell Williams, Jake Funk

After Akers disappeared in Week 1, many thought Williams could eventually get some work out of the backfield for the Rams. That will at least be put on hold until he's back. With Akers seemingly in the doghouse, it looks like Henderson should be the team's RB1 at least for now.

Even with Kyren Williams leaving the game in the first quarter with a high-ankle sprain, teammate Cam Akers only garnered 12 snaps in the team's opening game.

Related Players: Darrell Henderson, Cam Akers

The only remaining back on the Rams roster is Jake Funk, 2021's seventh-round pick. Darrell Henderson would finish Week 1 out-touching Cam Akers 18-3, controlling a huge portion of the backfield.

Rams WR Van Jefferson (knee) is out vs. the Bills.

Related players: Cooper Kupp, Allen Robinson, Ben Skowronek, Tutu Atwell

It was reported the Rams would use a committee approach behind Cooper Kupp and Allen Robinson if Jefferson couldn't go so we'll assume that's the plan at this point. That means a likely combo of Skowronek and Atwell.

Van Jefferson had the second of two separate offseason knee procedures as training camp opened in late July. While he has stayed on track with his rehab — which initially projected a return right around this time — the Rams have maintained that he’s “day-to-day”, and internally have agreed that they will not rush him back in the hopes that he’s healthy and available for the season as a whole (even if that means missing the opener).

Related players: Ben Skowronek, Tutu Atwell

The story went on to say that since the start of his absence, the Rams have approached the position “by committee,” meaning a couple of different receivers took over Jefferson’s snap allotment in training camp and in joint practices against the Bengals in late August. That would be the most likely case if Jefferson misses games to start the season. As the story went on to say, Skowronek and Atwell have both emerged as options, but, both players’ rookie seasons were tough. Atwell missed the start of training camp while recovering from COVID-19 and then suffered a season-ending shoulder injury, while Skowronek, who initially contributed mostly on special teams, rotated into the offense late in the season and postseason because of injuries to other players — but also worked through consistency issues.

ESPN NFL insider Dan Graziano believes the lingering elbow injury for Rams QB Matthew Stafford could be an issue all season long.

"My impression of this situation is that it affects Stafford's practice schedule all year and could also, obviously, affect his performance on Sundays," wrote Graziano. "He's tough enough that it's fair to believe it won't affect his availability for Sundays, but this is a guy who already led the league in interceptions last year. We sure an elbow problem isn't going to mess with him at all?"

Stafford has battled through injuries numerous times throughout his career, so we know he'll play. In fact, he even said he has "no limitations" on his arm, per ESPN's Sarah Barshop. Head coach Sean McVay said there are no plans to change up the way the team manages Stafford during the season. The Rams sure sound very confident in the health of Stafford, who is currently QB12 on Underdog draft boards.

A day after going through a full workload in the Los Angeles Rams' intersquad scrimmage, quarterback Matthew Stafford said his right elbow feels "good" and he feels "right on track to be doing what I want to be doing."

Stafford, who dealt with an elbow injury last season, received an injection in his right elbow during the offseason and did not throw during the Rams' spring workouts. He entered training camp on a throwing schedule that head coach Sean McVay said was just to make sure the team is being smart with the quarterback's arm leading up to Week 1, the story said. As we reported Monday, Stafford, got "60-plus plays" during the scrimmage on Tuesday, and also according to HC Sean McVay, "had great energy" and "great command all day."

Coach Sean McVay said Matthew Stafford was a full participant in Monday’s workout, which was closed to reporters after 20 minutes. Stafford will be a full participant Tuesday when the first-team offense runs more than 60 plays, McVay said.

Stafford has had an elbow issue that has plagued him since last season and will be tested again Tuesday when the Rams scrimmage for the first time. Stafford will not play in preseason games, so the scrimmage should provide the Rams with another marker as Stafford plays through tendinitis while preparing for the Sept. 8 opener against the Buffalo Bills at SoFi Stadium, the story said.

Both Cam Akers and Darrell Henderson are dealing with what Sean McVay describes as “soft tissue” injuries.

Related players: Kyren Williams, Jake Funk

Both are being held out of practice until both are at full speed in a team setting, according to the rest of the tweet. Williams and Funk practiced and took the main workload, the tweet went on to say. The good news here, according to other reports, the injuries don't appear to be serious. However these are the type of injuries that can linger so it's worth monitoring.

Rodrigue would continue, "His hands are sharp, his speed is there, and he got more reps, especially with WR3 Van Jefferson recovering from knee surgery."

Related Players: Van Jefferson, Ben Skowronek

Tutu Atwell —all 165 pounds of him— is incredibly unlikely ever to become an every-down player, but the Rams presumably took him with the 57th-overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft for a reason. The article mentions that if the season started tomorrow, with Van Jefferson still sidelined, that there would be a committee approach behind Cooper Kupp and Allen Robinson. It's a long shot, but if Atwell can squeeze into a WR3 role for the Rams he would become an interesting late-round addition to best ball, "non-managed" leagues.

Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay said quarterback Matthew Stafford's right elbow pain is "a little bit abnormal for a quarterback," comparing it instead to what pitchers deal with.

The article goes on to say that he threw during individual and 7-on-7 drills as recently as yesterday, but we can't construe quarterback elbow pain in a positive light. Apparently, Stafford has been working with the pain throughout the offseason, attempting different things with the athletic training staff to alleviate the issue. This is something to keep an eye on leading into the regular season.