Although the Los Angeles Rams (4-1) are coming off their most dominant win of the 2020 NFL season, it came at a cost with the team having to place safety Jordan Fuller on injured reserve.
Fuller initially suffered the shoulder injury during the Week 3 loss to the Buffalo Bills. He then re-aggravated it while making a big hit during the 30-10 win over the Washington Football Team.
As a result, the sixth-round pick will be sidelined for at least the next three weeks per the league’s new rules. Head coach Sean McVay was able to provide some more clarity Fuller’s injury, per Stu Jackson of the team’s official website:
McVay later clarified in his press conference that Fuller “had a little stinger” and that it’s “more of his neck” than his shoulder.
Fuller’s will undoubtedly leave a notable void in the secondary given his versatile skill set in defending both the run and passing game. The rookie emerged as quite a steal to start the 2020 NFL season with 21 tackles and two pass deflections.
The onus will now safety Taylor Rapp to take over in Fuller’s absence considering he had already filled in as the starter while the latter was sidelined in Week 4. While the rookie’s emergence out a cap on his playing time this season, he will have an opportunity to take full advantage of the increased workload.
The Rams could also task rookie safety Terrell Burgess with taking on an increased workload for defensive coordinator Brandon Staley in the coming weeks. Even though he did not pay at all in Week 5, he registered a season-high 19 snaps against the New York Giants in Week 4 while Fuller was out.
In an effort to shore up some more quality depth in the secondary, the Rams promoted defensive back Juju Hughes from the practice squad to the active roster. They also signed defensive tackle Eric Banks to their practice squad.
Linebacker Obo Okoronkwo is also likely to join Fuller on IR after straining his elbow against Washington. Fortunately, McVay is optimistic that the linebacker corps will have its leader back in Micah Kiser for Week 6 against the San Francisco 49ers.
