WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. – The Rams on Thursday placed cornerback Darious Williams on Injured Reserve (IR).
As a result, Williams will miss at least the first four games of the 2024 season.
Rams head coach Sean McVay on Friday said Williams "re-tweaked" his hamstring. According to McVay, an MRI after Wednesday's practice showed there was "still something there" from Williams' previous injury.
Giving Williams at least those four weeks to heal was what the team felt was best for him, per McVay. McVay said it's temporary IR for Williams, and that the "hope" is he can return return after four weeks, but given Williams is a fast-twitch athlete, the injury is something they want to be smart with.
"The best thing for him is, ultimately, to be able to give him some time to get himself ready to roll, and we'll be a better football team when we get him back," McVay said. "But he's handled it really well."
Williams was listed as a limited practice participant on Wednesday's injury report. He had begun working back in last week after being sidelined for the majority of training camp and the preseason with hamstring tightness sustained at the end of the team's second training camp practice.
After being a limited participant Wednesday and Thursday with a hamstring injury of his own, cornerback Cobie Durant was slated to be a full participant in Friday's practice, and McVay said he's expected to be ready to go for Sunday night's game against the Lions. However, with Tre Tomlinson on Injured Reserve, Los Angeles could potentially turn to one of Josh Wallace or Charles Woods as the next man up after Durant. Both Wallace and Woods had strong enough performances to be in the conversation for the fourth cornerback spot in that position's rotation.
"That's the just the reality of the NFL, and you're prepared for any situation," Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula said. "We like our depth at mostly all of our spots and feel like we're in good shape."
Shula praised Wallace and Woods for their consistency shown since they arrived in Los Angeles in the spring.
"I think Sean referred to it as 'grown men,' very mature rookies," Shula said. "Ask great questions in the meeting room. Guys that can take it from the meeting room to the field, it doesn't feel too big for them, great gameday demeanor in the preseason. Now, obviously it's a big difference on Sunday night, but definitely guys that we felt, really from the start, whether it was OTAs and then all through training camp, have been really consistent, whether it comes to meeting rooms, practice. Guys that you definitely trust or want on your team."
Asked if they've explored adding another cornerback to the roster, McVay on Friday said "there's a possibility of that," but like Shula expressed confidence in the team's depth developed throughout the spring and summer.
"We've got some guys that have gotten opportunities in his absence, and really in Decobie's absence, even though we expect him to be back and ready to go," McVay said. "So maybe down the road, but that's not something that's been imminent for us right now."
