One of the growing concerns for the Los Angeles Rams has been the lackluster play from their offensive line, which struggled mightily in their Week 7 tilt versus the New York Giants. Aside from attempting to keep quarterback Case Keenum out of pressure situations, the bigger concern was their inability to create any running room for running back, Todd Gurley.
Luckily, Los Angeles will have their starting guard Jamon Brown back to help tighten things up front. Brown had fractured his hand just days before their matchup with the Giants in London. Despite having surgery during the bye week, Gary Klein of Los Angeles Times reported the second-year guard is ready to play:
Rams OL Jamon Brown said he had surgery on left hand last week but is ready to play.
— Gary Klein (@LATimesklein) November 2, 2016
The news comes as a bit of relief for head coach Jeff Fisher. There had been some speculation entering the bye week the Rams would consider shaking things up on the line. However, the only change expected to be made this week will be inserting Brown back into the starting lineup should he feel ready to play.
Brown was optimistic about his availability for Week 8 during his press conference:
“For the most part, I’m good to go,” Brown said. “I mean, I feel pretty good. The doctor said it’s pretty much pain-tolerated. So, I had surgery Tuesday morning which went well, obviously. I’ve been practicing, so I’m just moving forward from there.”
Brown’s return is not only a testament of his toughness, but the attitude of this young offensive line that is still looking to improve. This could be the week the line finally takes that first step as Los Angeles has a favorable matchup against a generous Carolina defense that has allowed an average of 28 points per game this season.
