The last couple of weeks have been rough for the Los Angeles Rams as not only have they lost back-to-back games to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys, but they have also seen some key players go down with injuries.
Chief among them, of course, is quarterback Matthew Stafford, who sprained his thumb when he hit in on a Cowboys player’s helmet and was unable to finish the game. Stafford is listed as questionable and a game-time decision for the Rams’ Week 9 contest with the Green Bay Packers, and the same is the case for right tackle Rob Havenstein, who missed last week’s game with a calf issue.
Rams middle linebacker Ernest Jones has also been dealing with a knee injury, although he has not missed any games to this point. That will change this weekend as Jones was ruled out for the game against the Packers, giving him two weeks to recover with the Rams having a bye in Week 10, via Stu Jackson of The Rams.com:
Sean McVay also said LB Ernest Jones (knee) will not play on Sunday against the Packers.
"Looking forward to getting him back and being ready to roll after the bye."
With Jones out, S Jordan Fuller will wear the green dot (on-field defensive signal-caller).
— Stu Jackson (@StuJRams) November 3, 2023
This is a smart decision for the Rams as Jones will now have two weeks to recover and return at 100% in Week 11 as opposed to potentially re-injuring the knee in the final game before the bye.
It wouldn’t be surprising if the same is the case with guys like Stafford and Havenstein, although it’s clear that both of those guys are doing everything in their power to play this week.
Jones is in the midst of a career season as the third-year linebacker is leading the team with 75 total tackles and 43 solo tackles while recording nine tackles for loss and a sack.
He wears the green dot as the Rams’ signal-caller on defense, a task that will shift over to safety Jordan Fuller in his absence this weekend.
As far as who will get snaps at linebacker for L.A., they will likely rely heavily on Christian Rozeboom and Jake Hummel, two young players that have shown some promise so far this season.
Rams add quarterback Dresser Winn to practice squad
With Stafford available for this weekend up in the air, the Rams added another quarterback to the organization by signing Dresser Winn to the practice squad.
Brett Rypien would get the start if Stafford is unable to go but Winn spent training camp with the Rams so already has some familiarity with the organization.
