The 2019 NFL season was cut short for Los Angeles Rams left guard Joseph Noteboom when he suffered a torn ACL and MCL and was placed on injured reserve after just six games.
The Rams had made some major adjustments to their offensive line heading into the 2019 campaign. Although their decision to roll with two new, unproven starters drew plenty of concern, the move was indicative of the confidence the coaching staff had in players like Noteboom and center Brian Allen.
Unfortunately, the change in personnel led to some regression for the offense as a whole. To make matters worse, Noteboom missed out on the opportunity to gain some valuable experience as a starter due to the injury.
Noteboom recently provided an update on where he is currently at with the recovery process, via Sarina Morales of the team’s official website:
“I think we’re about eight weeks from surgery. Haven’t started running yet or anything like that, just trying to get the quad strength up and figure out walking. I think in about four weeks we start jogging and stuff like that on the field.”
Noteboom added that the time off has allowed him to take the necessary precautions to ensure that it does not happen again:
“I’ve never really taken walking for granted, but now I do. Health and eating well and getting your body right. I’ve always thought it was important, but now [even more]. I never want to get hurt again, because this sucks.”
It is certainly encouraging to see that Noteboom has seemingly managed to find a silver lining in his devastating knee injury. He will need to keep this same optimistic approach if he hopes to bounce back in spectacular fashion for the 2020 NFL season.
The Rams have a busy offseason ahead of them if they hope to avoid too much roster turnover before ushering in a new era at SoFi Stadium next year. One of their top priorities should be finding ways to ensure that this offense can get back on track following a year where they experienced plenty of drop-off.
Veteran left tackle Andrew Whitworth recently noted the unfair expectations that came with the Rams thrusting these young, unproven lineman into the spotlight. Regardless, the onus will still fall on those like Noteboom to prove that he is a viable, long-term starter on the interior once he is able to make his return from injury.
