Rodger Saffold could miss the remainder of the year with shoulder injury

The St. Louis Rams offensive line struggled mightily against the Green Bay Packers this past Sunday and those problems might only get worse with injury to guard Rodger Saffold. The loss of Saffold is something that would hurt the Rams in a major way. Head coach Jeff Fisher fears Saffold may have suffered a torn right labrum and will seek a second opinion to determine whether or not the offensive lineman will require surgery. Either way, it appears Saffold will miss significant time.

Adam Caplan, of ESPN, reported that Saffold has a chance of missing the whole year on Wednesday.

Fisher and company have always embraced the next man up philosophy, but this time it’s going to be very hard to follow through with any confidence. Garrett Reynolds is listed as the backup right guard, but expect people like Demetrius Rhaney and rookie Andrew Donnal to get reps as well.

If there is a silver lining in all of this, it’s that the Rams are headed into the bye week in Week6, and that should offer up some much needed time to find a suitable replacement. Many would say that Saffold has been the best offensive lineman for the Rams’ this year, and that’s saying something considering how bad the Rams offensive line has been.

Pro Football Focus has recently released some stats that show why this injury is a very costly one. According to Pro Football Focus, Nick Foles has been pressured more than any quarterback in the NFL thus far.

Obviously, a quarterback under duress won’t be very effective. Now, it’s even a higher priority to keep Foles on his feet as Saffold could miss the remainder of the season. This is something St. Louis needs to improve on as a whole, but replacing Saffold will not be easy. Fisher and his staff will have a whole two weeks to figure out just who exactly will replace Saffold on the offensive line.

With that being said, the offense now revolves around rookie running back Todd Gurley. Over the past two games Gurley has rushed for a staggering 315 yards. Gurley has been successful running behind the already suspect, so adding on more sub-par lineman shouldn’t effect things too much.

Nov 9, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; St. Louis Rams guard Rodger Saffold (76) Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Taking some of the pressure off of Foles will still be the priority, but it will also help the offense as a whole. We know Gurley is a monster runner and now defenses will have to play more honest up front.

The Rams knew that Saffold was very injury prone when they resigned him last year. If you recall, the Oakland Raiders originally agreed to terms with Saffold, but their doctors didn’t clear him from a physical because of his past injuries.

St. Louis then later took a chance on him and gave him a new contract. Now that is coming back to bite them, but the have the players and talent to replace him. There was a reason the Rams drafted a record amount of offensive lineman and this is definitely one of them.

Next: The St. Louis Rams can contend for a playoff spot

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