LA Rams: The future of Odell Beckham Jr is uncertain, to OBJ

Next man up?

To the fans in the stands, the goal is to win. If a player falls to injury, it becomes the responsibility of the next player on the team’s depth chart to suit up, step in, and step up. For most of us, the goal is that final score, for our team to have more points on that scoreboard, to emerge victoriously.

But what of the players who fall in the heat of battle to injury? What of the pain, the long arduous road back to health and to the competition? For the most part, we needn’t pause and ponder on such unpleasantries. NFL teams sign players to contracts. Multi-year deals ensure that teams will be there for the player when they are rehabbed, ready, and returned.

But for the many whose contract expires? Well, bad timing I suppose. And that’s the double-edged sword of the NFL Free Agency market. Players are free to negotiate their best deals, whether the intention is to play for the highest dollars, the most competitive teams, or simply to play closer to a home nearer to family and friends.

Oh, healthy players, that is. For those players who are injured and without an existing contract, the pain of rehabbing is doubled. And when the pain intensifies, doubt begins to creep in.

Hey, I’m not on a soapbox here. I don’t mean to be all preachy. But the reality of football does not always intersect with the perception. Not all football players are ultra-wealthy. Many of the NFL players who compete do so without job security. Players knowingly face a job where dismissal can happen at any time.

For over 40 percent of the 90-man rosters, they will be informed that they will be released each year. A third of those players will be re-signed to the practice squad.  But for those of us who write about, cheer for, or even avidly support the men who are following their passion, we haven’t a clue what that decision requires from them.