THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Down a starting left guard for the rest of the year, a starting cornerback indefinitely and potentially a starting safety, head coach Sean McVay won't let the Rams' current circumstances dictate their performance the remainder of the season.
"It's been unfortunate, but it is something that a lot of teams have to deal with," McVay said. "We're certainly not going to make any excuses."
The number of setbacks announced Monday included three starters.
LG Joe Noteboom was ruled out for the season with a torn ACL and MCL sustained in the Rams' Week 6 loss to the 49ers. CB Aqib Talib's rib injury against the Seahawks in Week 5 that forced him to miss the 49ers game turned out to be fractured ribs which will sideline him indefinitely. Safety John Johnson III is getting a second opinion Tuesday on the shoulder injury he sustained against the 49ers before a determination is made on his availability, according to McVay.
While outside speculation will suggest various moves for the Rams to find some of those replacements immediately prior to the NFL's Oct. 29 trade deadline, McVay is confident in the options Los Angeles has on its current roster.
Jamil Demby and rookie David Edwards are candidates to replacement Noteboom, while fourth-year veteran Troy Hill will continue to start in place of Talib. Another fourth-year vet, Marqui Christian, would step in for Johnson should he end up missing an extended amount of time.
"Those are things that (GM) Les (Snead) and I would discuss," said McVay, when asked if the injuries at offensive line and cornerback will make the Rams more aggressive than they would've been with the deadline approaching. "Really, if we felt like it was somebody that in the short-term, but then also you have a long-term perspective on, would help us, those are things that we're always looking into. (Les) does a great job of having a pulse for the entirety of the league and guys that might be available.
"But when I say that, I don't think we're looking outside to fill that void immediately. We're looking, really, potentially outside for guys that would come in and bring maybe veteran depth, not come in and play."
Facing a three-game losing streak for the first time in the McVay era, L.A. will count on both new and familiar faces for the foreseeable future to end its current skid.
What it won't do is use the absence of who those faces are replacing to justify how the rest of 2019 plays out.
"No one's feeling sorry for us," McVay said. "We feel sorry for the players that have to miss time, but in the meantime, we've got to be ready to go and we can't let it be something that sets us back."
