After winning the Super Bowl last season, it’s been a brutal 2022 campaign for the Los Angeles Rams. And now it appears that they’ll be without their starting quarterback for the remainder of the season.
The Rams announced on Saturday that they’ve placed quarterback Matthew Stafford on injured reserve. Stafford has been dealing with concussion symptoms and a neck injury in recent weeks.
LA Rams Transactions:
• Reserve/Injured QB Matthew Stafford
• Activated, from Reserve LB Daniel Hardy
• Activated, from Practice Squad RB Malcolm Brown, DE T.J. Carter
• Signed to Active Roster LB Keir Thomas, WR Austin Trammell— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) December 3, 2022
Los Angeles is 3-8 and out of the playoff race, and things are likely to only get worse while Stafford, Cooper Kupp, and Aaron Donald are out with injuries. While Stafford is eligible to return Week 17, it’s hard to see the Rams bothering to bring him back at that point, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter notes.
Rams are placing QB Matthew Stafford on injured reserve, effectively ending his 2022 season. Stafford will be eligible to return in Week 17 at the Chargers, but at that point, there would be little incentive to play and expose their veteran quarterback.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 3, 2022
Stafford, 34, first entered the league’s concussion protocol on Nov. 8, and then left the Rams’ game against the New Orleans Saints after being evaluated for a concussion on Nov. 20 in Week 11. He cleared concussion protocol for a second time on Friday, but he also has a neck injury that was suffered in the Saints game.
Rams head coach Sean McVay told the media on Friday that he doesn’t believe Stafford’s neck injury will be a long-term issue for the quarterback.
The concussion concerns have also had many NFL evaluators pointing out that it’s not worth putting Stafford at more risk with the Rams well out of playoff contention.
Smart Decision. With his concussions they are thinking of the person not just the player.
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) December 3, 2022
The Rams recently announced that John Wolford will start at quarterback against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 13. Bryce Perkins got the start in Week 12, with the Rams losing 26-10 to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Making matters even worse for the Rams is the fact that their first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft is owned by the Detroit Lions as part of the Stafford trade. That would currently be the No. 4 overall pick in the draft, and there’s a strong chance it ends up in the top-three after this Stafford news.
