LA Rams are ‘good to go’ in season opener against the Dallas Cowboys

LA Rams Injury update: All are healthy to face the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football

Rams Injury Update: The LA Rams have been dealing with a lot of little tweaks and dings so far. There was the knee soreness of second-year safety Taylor Rapp. Then there was the minor hamstring injury to running back Darrell Henderson.  Finally, there was lower leg soreness to wide receiver Cooper Kupp.

So where does that leave the LA Rams heading into the season opener?  In the words of head coach Sean Mcvay: “Everybody is going to be good to go”.

And that, more than any other news, is music to the ears. In 2020, a healthy active roster is critical to having a chance to compete in post-season play.

Other Player updates

Of course, the Rams still have some players who will not be on the field nor on the sidelines this week.  Offensive tackle Chandler Brewer has opted out for the season and will return in 2021. Inside linebacker Travin Howard injured his knee which required surgery. He will be out all season on the Injured Reserve list.  Veteran nose tackle A’Shawn Robinson is on the team’s Reserve/Non-Football Injury list and can return by week seven.  Rookie OLB Terrell Lewis on the team’s Reserve/Non-Football Injury list, and can return by week four when the Rams take on the New York Giants.

As long as this Rams team can remain healthy, they will be very dangerous indeed.  The Rams lost three games in 2019 they were not competitive in.  But of four other games, including two games against NFC West rivals, the Rams were in a position to win until the final plays of the game. That was despite a banged up and retooled offensive line and a completely reworked defensive secondary.

The Dallas Cowboys have two players who are questionable for the opener. Linebacker Luke Gifford was limited practice this week, suffering from a hamstring injury.  Cornerback Jourdan Lewis is suffering from an ankle injury and did not practice this week.

Henderson role in the opener

Healthy teams win in the NFL. Opening the season with 53 healthy players is a good sign. With Darrell Henderson ready to go, the LA Rams can run their full game one playbook. What will that entail? Well, we know that the Rams list Henderson as a kick returner on the unofficial team depth chart. But will the Rams use him in that role on Sunday night?

I expect he may show up in that capacity. Still, if the team is concerned about the hamstring, they have the option of going with speedster running back Raymond Calais. Henderson will get some work in the offense. I would not be surprised if the Rams have him involved in both the running and passing game against the Cowboys. We know that they no longer have Byron Jones in the secondary, so the Rams will want to test just how effective their new faces work.

The Rams are completely unknown this year.  While the team has familiar faces, the defense will have a new look.  As far as the offense, the Rams will likely not make the same mistake by waiting until midseason to help the offensive line. The SNF game has a good feel to it.