LA Rams: WR Ben Skowronek surgery went well, on the mend

If you want to count the number of injuries to the LA Rams players so far, that number is alarming.  But if you focus on the severity of the injuries afflicting the LA Rams players so far, the severity is such that all but one player has been able to return to practice within a couple of weeks. Of course, the one exception is running back Cam Akers, but so far it appears that the LA Rams are holding out hope that he will be back in time for the NFL playoffs.

Now, the LA Rams organization has a second player who enters that category of hoping to get back later in the season. That player is none other than former Notre Dame wide receiver Ben Skowronek. He fractured his forearm against the LA Chargers in the first preseason game of the season. While Skowronek is one more name on a growing list of injuries, his fractured forearm happened at a bad time in his career.

The Rams are to the point of paring down the roster to 53 players in the next two weeks. With this setback, it’s all but certain that Skowronek will not be a name that appears on the Rams’ active 53-man roster. Of course, even remaining healthy was no guarantee to make the roster among this talented group. Perhaps, with this injury, he will be eligible to return to the roster on or about the midpoint of the season?  That is assuming of course that he is placed on injured reserve.

SWAG timetable

Los Angeles Rams

While the official word on his timetable to return is not yet established, we know a few things about his surgery.  We know that a normal timeframe is about 12 weeks or just under three months time. While many football positions accelerate that timetable by playing in a protective cast, that will likely not be an immediate option for Skowronek. As a receiver, he will need full use of both hands to play his position.

This won’t be a Conner Barwin situation. Barwin underwent surgery to repair a broken bone in his left forearm in November 2017 but was back in just a couple of weeks.  The difference is that Barwin was a defensive outside linebacker whose role was tackling, shedding blockers, and sacking quarterbacks.

Best guesstimates place Skowronek’s return to football (which is a more involved process than medical return to health) is more than likely the November time frame. That allows a six-week period on Injured Reserve, and then enough time to ramp up to be reinstated to the active roster. If Skowronek is not ready to go by the end of October, the Rams will likely reinstate him to the roster at the BYE week on November 21, 2021.

This could prove to be fortuitous for Skowronek, whose rehab now will likely be an advantage for his chances to make the team’s roster.  And if our estimations are correct, he will be back in time to help the Rams on their playoff push.