Outbreak of Week 1 injuries to OL has Rams already pushing IR limits for 2024

The LA Rams are a battered and bruised team right now. Despite all the preseason precautions to avoid injuries, injuries have arrived all the same. And now, the LA Rams have some challenging decisions to make. You see, the NFL has modified the COVID-19 rules that allowed unlimited designations to Injured Reserve, and back to the active roster. Now, NFL teams can only return players designated to IR eight times throughout the season.

And the Rams started the 2024 NFL season with three players on IR.

But after Week 1, that number could double.

The team had placed OT KT Leveston and DT Larrell Murchison on their IR/Designated to return list. And quickly thereafter, the team added DB Darious Williams to the IR list after he aggravated his hamstring injury. All three players were hoped to return to the active roster after four weeks had passed. But now there is a new group of injuries as well.

Starting WR Puka Nacua's knee was reinjured, and the Rams are likely to place him on IR. Starting IOL Steve Avila is dealing with an MCL sprain, and should also be going on IR. Furthermore, swing tackle Joe Noteboom suffered an ankle injury, and should be going on IR, as he will be out several weeks. But therein lies the rub. The Rams roster is simply running out of slots to return players from IR. In just one week, the team will have earmarked as many as six of the available eight total iR slots that will allow the team to restore injured players to the active roster.

Week 1 and the Rams offense line is devastated. Week 1 and two of the Rams key defensive backs are out (DB Derion Kendrick for the entire season). There are 16 more games left in the season, and the Rams roster already feels like it is on life support. This is very much like 2019, and 2022, all over again.

The good news is that most of the injuries are temporary. Players will be back in a month or so. But now, with so many injuries happening all at once, the Rams may soon need to make do with injured players on the active roster, or simply move them to IR and leave them there all season long.

It's just one more chess game that GM Les Snead must play to keep this team competitive in 2024.

And as always, thanks for reading.