The 2024 NFL season is only one week old and the Los Angeles Rams have already been hit by the injury bug as key offensive players Puka Nacua, Steve Avila and Joe Noteboom were all placed on injured reserve this week.
That means they will all miss at least four games, although head coach Sean McVay said he anticipates them all potentially missing more time than that.
But according to McVay, Avila was the only one that required surgery to repair the sprained MCL in his knee.
“Steve [Avila] did. It went well. He’s doing good. He is in good spirits, smiling like normal. The other two did not,” McVay said.
McVay added that having the surgery does not change Avila’s timeline. In fact, it may even speed it up.
“No, it wasn’t anything different than what we had expected. It was just kind of this accelerates the healing, the approach that we took.”
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Avila is looking to be back around November for the stretch run of the season:
#Rams standout G Steve Avila underwent surgery to repair his MCL, per coach Sean McVay. He's looking at being back on the field in November, ready for the stretch run. McVay said the plan was to accelerate his recovery.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 13, 2024
Not being on the field with his teammates must be killing Avila as he was an ironman that played every single snap during his rookie season.
While being without one of their best offensive linemen isn’t ideal, it is good to see that Avila is expected back for the stretch run.
In the meantime, starting center Jonah Jackson has moved back to left guard while rookie Beau Limmer is taking on center duties. Limmer stepped in after Avila went down in Week 1 against the Detroit Lions and played really well for the Rams.
The health of the offensive line will be extremely important for the Rams this season as keeping Matthew Stafford upright is the key to the team’s offensive success. Luckily, it appears that both Rob Havenstein and Kevin Dotson will be available in Week 2, and Alaric Jackson will be back from his two-game suspension in Week 3.
Rams rookie Jared Verse had stellar debut
On the other side of the ball, Rams rookie Jared Verse had a stellar NFL debut in Week 1, recording four tackles and a sack against the Lions. The first-round pick was top-10 in the league with six quarterback pressures, flashing his potential for L.A.
