LA Rams roster continues trend of getting a bit banged up

While it’s still early and the LA Rams do not have a reason to panic, there is a rather unsettling trend so far in this 2021 training camp and preseason games. In short, players are getting banged up at a more rapid pace than usual. Well, I haven’t compared and frequency distribution tables yet, so let’s say that it feels like injuries are coming at a more rapid clip this year.

And why wouldn’t it?  After the team has lost featured running back Cam Akers most likely for the season and recently learned that rookie wide receiver Ben Skowronek had surgery to repair a fractured forearm, the number of bumps and bruises seems to be happening at a pretty rapid clip. Here are other absences from the LA Rams training camp so far due to illness or injury:

Player                           Position             Injury/Illness           Status
Tutu Atwell                  WR                     Pos COVID-19          Full practice
Jacob Harris                 TE                       Core procedure        Full practice
Cam Akers                    RB                      Achilles Tendon       Out (TBD)
Darrell Henderson     RB                      Hand                           Full Practice
Matthew Stafford     QB                       Thumb                        Full Practice
Darious Williams        DB                       Ankle                          Partial Practice
Nick Scott                     DB                       Knee (sprain)            Out (limited activity)
Robert Rochell            DB                       Wrist                          Full Practice
Bobby Brown III          DL                        Thumb                       Full Practice
Terrell Lewis                OLB                      Knee                          Limited (management)
Leonard Floyd             OLB                      Ankle                         Limited practice
Trishton Jackson         WR                       Knee                          Did not participate
Tutu Atwell                  WR                        Back                          Did not participate
Eric Banks                    DL                         Soreness                  Full Practice

Body mass vs athleticism

While numerous, a majority of the injuries have been relatively minor and heal rapidly. But that does not take these LA Rams off the hook when the season starts. 14 players who are banged up and miss time is not a sky-is-falling matter. But come the regular season, and at the current trend, the LA Rams will be in a bit of a pickle.

Los Angeles Rams

The Rams loaded up in the draft with highly athletic players. While that is certainly admirable, it does call into question their durability over the long haul. Why do I say that?

Well, it’s a well-known fact that farm animals that are used to pull heavy carts, wagons, and equipment are best when they are muscular but steady. Draft horses are ideally suited for the heavy laboring type of work.

Speedier and more athletic breeds, like Thoroughbreds or Arabians, simply do not have the necessary body muscle mass or bone structure to plow fields or pull heavy equipment. As the Rams have focused on more athletic and speedy players, they have opted for players who are not as well armored for the rough and tumble activity that is football.

Rams Roster

It’s a calculated risk, but a risk nevertheless. The NFL players are bigger, stronger, faster, and hit harder. That tends to neutralize any athletic advantages over time. Now that the pads have gone on and preseason games have begun, this is an entirely new brand of football.

This is not a sky-is-falling article. Just a matter of presenting the facts and current trends of the team. If the team continues to bear the brunt of minor injuries at the same position, the roster that must be constructed will need to compensate for the need for greater depth. That will be a difficult challenge as nobody knows the future.

Constructing a roster requires 25 foundation players (11 offense, 11 defense, P, PK, and LS). Because the Rams go with 12 personnel packages, nickel and dime coverages, and four WR sets, the team’s number of foundation players climbs to 30+ in number. After that, teams must ensure adequate backups exist for rotational purposes, and in case of injuries. It’s all very strategic, to begin with. The trend this year seems to have added a bit of the mystical arts to the process.

Of course, in the ‘glass half full’ perspective, the Rams are getting plenty of looks and opportunities to other players on the roster. And if the rate of injuries subsides, the team will be stronger than ever for the 2021 NFL season. Lots of ifs in that perspective though. Perhaps it’s time to shake the Magic-8 ball or consult the Ouija board.