LA Rams Training Camp: Jake Funk and handling concern for RBs knees

The LA Rams are the sort of NFL organization that should be entrusted to honestly evaluating and reporting on knee injuries. Not one bit.  And yet, each year the team has managed to find some way to entangle themselves with a player with questions about the integrity of a player’s knees who fills a vital role for the team.

The most recent players to fall into that category are of course running back Todd Gurley and last year’s outside linebacker, Terrell Lewis. Gurley was a warrior, a man who delivered incredible rushing production. But that same ability to deliver yards and scores pushed his knees rapidly into untrustworthiness.  That untrustworthiness carried over to the organization, which had any number of narratives that in 20/20 hindsight that seemed more scripted than factual. Eventually, the team tried to determine an effective workload for the running back.

Rookie outside linebacker Terrell Lewis was drafted in 2020, with questions over the health and durability of his knees.  The team drafted him, presumably after reviewing the medical documents and concluding that everything was fine. Yes, knees again. The young man arrived at the LA Rams and yet his knees were very problematic.

The team once more must determine an effective workload for the second-year edge rusher.

Will the LA Rams have any better luck with Lewis? That’s a tough call, but it seems to have created the opportunity for outside linebacker Justin Hollins to leapfrog him into the pole position to land the other starting role opposite veteran Leonard Floyd.  Lewis has the talent. He just lacks the durability.