Fans alarmed as left side of Rams offensive line dealing with injuries

You can break out all of the cliches to describe the bad news setbacks of the team at the 2024 LA Rams Training Camp so far. While the reports about players and performances are rosy and glowing, there is the injury undertone that is alarming some fans

"When it rains, it pours."
"Bad news travels fast."
"Bad things come in threes."

We know that starting cornerback Darious Williams suffered a hamstring injury, and is not currently participating in active practices. But if you have been a loyal reader, you know that we have already updated the Rams' injuries with new developments from Week 2. While we do not suspect that any recently added injuries are significant enough to mean missed playing time in the 2024 NFL season, this does complicate the starting offensive line's attempts to get into the groove with coordination and coordination this season.

The most recent injury was to starting left guard Jonah Jackson. While known to be coming off an injury in 2023, the Rams have been smart about managing his workload. But per The Athletic's Jourdan Rodrigue, he left practice on July 30 with the help of an athletic trainer, and HC Sean McVay was unable to add any details about the matter at the end of the day.

That comes just one day after the LA Rams confirmed that offensive tackle Alaric Jackson, the starting left tackle of the team, did indeed tweak his ankle in training camp already. That will mean that Jackson will give way to backup swing tackle Joe Noteboom in practice until he he fully healed.

Much like the news to cornerbacks in Week 1, this now makes two offensive linemen who are expected to start who have been impacted by unexpected and ill-timed injuries. As of now, neither injury is expected to derail plans to ensure the original starting five offensive linemen suit up and play in the Week 1 contest against the Detroit Lions.

But it does hinder the starting offensive linemen from working out their communication and coordination in training camp. And that is vital to ensure that this group works well right out of the gates.

NEw UPDATE: July 31, 2024

While not a major injury, LA Rams starting LG Jonah Jackson is projected to miss some time with a bruised scapula. While not expected to impact his starting role in Week 1, it does complicate the matter of synchronizing starting offensive linemen for the start of the 2024 NFL season.

Keep in mind that the LA Rams did not start IOL Kevin Dotson instantly in Week 1. Rather, he did not take the football field as the starting right guard until Week 4.

Just something to keep in the back of your mind.

Injuries happen in professional football, as this is a physical contact sport. But the team seems to be forced to deal with multiple injuries quickly to the same positions. That will tax any NFL team roster. The silver lining is that the team is deep, that these mostly minor injuries diverts valuable reps to backup players, and that the injuries are occurring early enough in training camp to not impact the team's regular season directly.

At this point, that is the best that we can hope for.

As always, thanks for reading.