The Los Angeles Rams have been searching for answers at cornerback all year, since Ahkello Witherspoon suffered a shoulder injury in Week 2 against the Tennessee Titans. When he initially suffered the injury, the timetable was set at around 12 weeks, meaning Week 14 was seen as the earliest return for the Rams lead corner.
In the meantime, the Rams have amassed a 9-2 record leaning on a combination of Emmanuel Forbes Jr., Darious Williams, Quentin Lake and Cobie Durant. But L.A. was in for a potential scare at the position when Lake was placed on IR last week week. They were going to be very shorthanded until some unexpected news came along: that Witherspoon’s practice window was opening and that a Week 13 return was in the cards.
As Witherspoon gears up to play on Sunday against the Carolina Panthers, he explained why he wasn’t surprised that he was able to get back earlier than initially anticipated and actually revealed he had a different injury that was reported, via Stu Jackson of TheRams.com:
It’s less shocking, though, when Witherspoon – a pre-med student at Colorado – clarifies that it was a broken scapula, not a broken clavicle as originally announced, that he sustained in Week 2 against the Titans.
“I don’t really think they’re important,” Witherspoon said of scapulas.
For Witherspoon, this return is coming at the exact time he would have predicted when the injury first happened in Week 2:
“They were thinking something different, but I showed them I heal fast, so I knew it was going to be around this timeframe,” Witherspoon said. “Right on par.”
He also spoke about what the waiting period was like as he tried to get healthy, wanting to contribute to a winning cause and doing so at full strength.
“I mean, I think both can exist,” Witherspoon said. “You can be eager as hell and patient as hell. It’s just having perspective, understanding the reality of the situation, and letting both thrive in the midst of it.”
Witherspoon is coming back at the absolute perfect time, with Lake now out for potentially the rest of the regular season. Hopefully, this means the Rams secondary can continue functioning to a strong level, a unit that is 13th in the NFL in passing yards allowed per game.
Rams claim Derion Kendrick off waivers
The Rams also claimed a familiar face in the wake of the Quentin Lake and Roger McCreary injuries, getting Derion Kendrick from the Seattle Seahawks. Kendrick left L.A. for Seattle in the offseason, and now returns after being waived by the Seahawks.
