The LA Rams cannot reinstate all IR players to their roster now

The debate among the LA Rams forums over the handling of veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford may soon become a moot point if the team places him on Injured Reserve. The reason is not due to the fact that the Rams want to ensure player safety. Rather, the LA Rams were given just eight transactions to reinstate players from Injured Reserve back to the team’s active roster.

Eight transactions are not many, particularly in a season in which the LA Rams roster seems to report multiple injuries each week. Since that time, the LA Rams have reinstated five players, with one reinstatement still pending:

1. WR Van Jefferson
2. DB Troy Hill
3. RB Kyren Williams
4. IOL Coleman Shelton
5. DB Quentin Lake
6. IOL David Edwards (pending)

And right now, the Rams roster has 10 players currently on their Injured Reserve list, many of whom will be healed up before the end of the season. With what appears to be just two remaining slots to reinstate players from injured reserve, there may no longer be an option to reinstate players even if they do heal up.

Rams roster management further complicated

That creates further complications for the Rams roster, one that is already strapped for cash and near the breaking point of injuries. Because the team hasn’t the luxury of getting players back from IR now, the team is carrying players who cannot suit up for games on the active roster.

The latest wave of injuries that occured in Week 11 may not even result in any players being assigned to IR. Offensive tackle Ty Nsekhe suffered an ankle sprain but is considered day-to-day on his status. Meanwhile, defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson suffered a knee injury that is considered more worrisome. But if he moves to IR, his season is likely over.

Players currently on IR who may be healthy enough to return before the season’s end include WR Cooper Kupp, OL Chandler Brewer, DB Jordan Fuller, and OLB Daniel Hardy. Ultimately, the question now becomes who do you prioritize returning this season?

Stafford, as a result, may never be assigned to IR this season. And for that matter, there are no guarantees that any player who is injured without needing significant surgery will find themselves on IR through the rest of this season. That is not an indication that injuries are less severe. It’s simply an indication that the Rams have been injured so often this year that even their eight transactions from IR to their active roster are limiting factors.