Injury Report, Week 10 vs. Dolphins: Christian Rozeboom, Kam Curl and Kevin Dotson questionable but McVay optimistic about availability; Steve Avila and Jonah Jackson expected to be activated off of Injured Reserve; Rob Havenstein and Neville Gallimore ruled out

Stu Jackson@StuJRams
Sean McVay said DB Cobie Durant (shoulder) will be questionable, otherwise everyone else on the injury report should be good to go for Sunday’s game against the Seahawks.

McVay said this is the healthiest the Rams have been since the beginning of the season.

Jourdan Rodrigue@JourdanRodrigue
Sean McVay says Matthew Stafford will be listed as “questionable” for Sunday’s game. Declines to say whether Stafford will play, says swelling and grip has made progress.

I asked directly: Can Stafford currently grip a football? Sean McVay says, making good progress and declines to expand further.

Rob Havenstein (calf) will be questionable but sounds like potentially a game-time decision.

Ernest Jones (knee) will not play Sunday. That’s potentially significant for the Rams, but S Jordan Fuller will wear the green dot and has done so at a high level in previous years.

While RT Rob Havenstein (calf) will be “questionable” and probably listed as DNP on the injury report today, did watch him get a pretty high-intensity workout in with medical staff to the side of practice. Havenstein will be a game-time decision, sounds like.

It sounds like Rams are at least mulling a change at outside CB, but somewhat dependent on health of Cobie Durant (stinger). If Durant moves outside Quentin Lake has played well at Star/big nickel.

Cameron DaSilva@camdasilva
Ernest Jones is out with a knee injury.

Jourdan Rodrigue@JourdanRodrigue
Nacua, Shelton, Yeast, Jones all listed as questionable on Rams injury report but sounds like all are expected to play on Sunday.
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S Jason Taylor heads to IR with the groin injury.
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Sean McVay with a small status update on WR Cooper Kupp today, after
LATimesklein question about his IR timeline: “We’re hopeful about that. I want to be careful what (to say) but the reason we put him on IR was so that you know that if it’s gonna be those 4 weeks that he’s
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mandated (to) miss, we can take him off the IR and be available that fifth week. That was the reason that we made that decision that we did last week, just because you don’t know what’s gonna come up. It doesn’t put a time table on rushing him back. … I want to be careful
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(not) to put the cart before the horse, so they say, but I’m hopeful about that.”

What to know about Rams’ ongoing situation with RB Cam Akers, what comes next

Jourdan Rodrigue

https://theathletic.com/3756591/2022/11/02/rams-cam-akers-sean-mcvay/?source=emp_shared_article

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — The trade deadline came and went, and there is continued uncertainty about the status of running back Cam Akers on the Rams’ roster.

A person with knowledge of the Rams’ trade conversations who was not authorized to speak publicly said the Rams received no legitimate offers (i.e., no realistic offers) for Akers before the deadline.

However, coach Sean McVay said that he, Akers and Akers’ agent, David Mulugheta, had a “really good conversation” Wednesday morning, during which Akers affirmed he would like to remain a part of the team.

“We’re working through a couple of different options,” McVay said. Because Akers cannot now be traded, if he isn’t a part of the team later, it would be because he was released.

“After we had that conversation, got a couple of different things that are some options that we can potentially do moving forward, and we’ll have clarity on that as far as getting him back (and) working with this group or if that means exploring other avenues,” McVay said. “Want to be able to explore that first one first (and) let him be able to digest some of the things that we discussed, work through that with his family … and then we’ll see what the next step is.”

The Rams first held Akers out of practice on Thursday, Oct. 14, citing “personal reasons,” and they have held him out of practice and games since. McVay, who initially called the situation an “internal” matter, later publicly confirmed the Rams were working to trade Akers.

Multiple people with knowledge of the situation who were not authorized to speak publicly characterized it as an ongoing difference in opinion on several matters, including the overall philosophy and direction of the run game, the frequency of use for the running backs/the frequency of called runs in general, and that Akers and the Rams had simply not been on the same page since late in training camp.

These people did not know of any one particular interaction or event that served as a tipping point for the situation, which they also said did not feel hostile on either side and more so was a mutual disagreement.

“The one thing that I think is good about some of these discussions that can take place is when you get a chance to reflect on it, you can be honest about where you could do (things) differently — talking about myself, some of the expectations — and there’s a lot of confidence, there’s a lot of belief in the human being Cam Akers,” McVay said Wednesday. “You don’t want to jump to conclusions just based on a couple of things where nobody was necessarily at fault but it could have been handled better, and I always look at myself first and foremost.”

Akers did not practice Wednesday, but McVay did not rule out his availability for the Rams on Sunday against Tampa Bay.

Though all sides are hopeful for a mutual and positive resolution, two people with knowledge of the situation who were not authorized to speak publicly said it had been simmering quietly since the middle-to-late portion of training camp.

Akers missed multiple days of training camp with what the team called a “soft tissue injury” (NFL teams are not required to produce official injury reports during camp), including the Rams’ joint practices with the Cincinnati Bengals before their preseason matchup. Akers and running back Darrell Henderson, who the Rams said was also working through a soft tissue injury, traveled with the team to Cincinnati but did not practice.

Both players returned to practice on the same day: Aug. 29.

A day after a Week 1 loss to Buffalo, McVay issued a rare direct comment about a player’s performance, saying he wanted to see an “increased level of urgency and accountability snap in and snap out” from Akers. During the regular week of media availability that followed, Akers conveyed surprise at his usage in the Bills game and acknowledged that McVay had shared that sentiment about urgency with him during training camp.

Over the next few weeks, McVay publicly expressed frustration with his offense in the Rams’ bottom-of-the-league run game.

“It starts with being able to … everybody do their job and then be able to create a little bit. We’ve got to be able to sometimes get more than what the play is blocked for,” he said after the loss, during which the Rams rushed for only 38 net yards. “Then we can’t have free runners, we can’t have guys into the backfield with penetration. … It (has) been a challenge, and it’s something that has really hurt us.”

Contextually, the Rams also have faced a barrage of injuries along their offensive line. In seven games, they have had to start seven iterations of their offensive line, including a third-string center who had never previously snapped to quarterback Matthew Stafford, and their fifth right guard.

Because Akers has not been on-site, he has not been available in a locker room setting to speak publicly about his perspective of the situation.

Akers was drafted in the second round in 2020 within a longer-term plan by the Rams to develop him into a feature back similar to those McVay has had in his offense previously. As the 2020 season began, then-rookie Akers showed promise in tandem with the more veteran Henderson, whom the Rams hoped to feature in a versatile third-down role. Akers suffered a ribs cartilage injury in Week 2 when several bodies landed on him after a carry and the pointed end of the football stuck him between the ribs (an injury that takes a while to heal but from which Akers returned after a couple of weeks). In Week 15, Akers suffered a high ankle sprain but returned to rush for 221 yards and two touchdowns in two playoff appearances.

A week before training camp in 2021, Akers tore his Achilles while working out away from the Rams’ facilities. He underwent a cutting-edge procedure called “internal bracing,” performed by Rams head surgeon Neal ElAttrache, followed by a grueling rehabilitation plan. Akers returned to the Rams’ active roster just 5 1/2 months after the initial tear — a historic recovery for an NFL player with that injury — and was active in the postseason for their Super Bowl run.

When Akers returned full-time in 2022, the Rams’ vision for their running backs seemed to have changed. McVay appeared ready to move away from a single-back workload and into a committee to present more looks to a defense in the run and pass game, with Akers and Henderson in both phases. The running backs room had also undergone several personnel changes: The team had decided not to re-sign veteran back Sony Michel, leaving Henderson as the most veteran player in the room. After moving previous running backs coach/assistant head coach Thomas Brown into a more prominent role in the passing game as tight ends coach, the Rams hired Ra’Shaad Samples to coach the running backs. This meant that Samples, widely considered an up-and-coming young coaching talent, was taking on his first NFL position. The Rams also changed offensive coordinators entering 2022 with their hire of Liam Coen in the spring.

Between issues along their offensive line and their overall inconsistency at running back (which at times has been due to health), the Rams have struggled for multiple seasons to establish an identity in their run game. Monday, McVay reacted to a question about what the point would be for the Rams to deeply evaluate all aspects of their run game, from personnel selection and development to health and on-field product.

“There’s kind of been an overhaul on what we thought we’d be able to operate with philosophically,” he said. “Everything is on the table. … It hasn’t been good enough. I take a lot of responsibility in that, but there’s been a whole lot of moving parts that have contributed to that. The answer is ‘yes,’ everything is up for discussion, and it hasn’t gone the way that we wanted. There’s a lot of reasons for it, none of which are anything other than an excuse. But these are things that we’re dealing with.”

In the short term, the Rams will explore their remaining options: to try to work it out with Akers or release him. That decision might come quickly.

“Basically … we’ve talked about a couple of different options. Wanted to be able to give him an opportunity to weigh that with his family and with his representation, and then we’ll circle back later on this afternoon and see what the next move is,” McVay said Wednesday, “whether that’s continuing to move forward with the Rams or if you explore giving him an opportunity to be able to see what that looks like with another team.”

49ers vs. Rams predictions: Two weeks later, Christian McCaffrey is back in L.A.

By David Lombardi

https://theathletic.com/3737808/2022/10/28/49ers-rams-predictions-christian-mccaffrey/

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Less than two weeks ago, Christian McCaffrey played his final game for the Panthers. It came at SoFi Stadium, of all places.

Four days later, the 49ers traded with Carolina to acquire McCaffrey, so the running back is now set to return to the Rams’ majestic home venue in a new uniform just 14 days after he left.

Life in the NFL can move furiously fast, indeed. And it might be moving even faster for the Rams, who had a bye last weekend and therefore face the unusual situation of squaring off against the same star player in two consecutive games. With Carolina, in a game that L.A. won 24-10, McCaffrey racked up 158 all-purpose yards — 89 yards receiving and 69 yards rushing.

“He’s a good piece for them,” Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald said of McCaffrey and the 49ers this week. “He’s a headache to try to game plan for.”

McCaffrey managed an efficient receiving game — he caught seven passes on eight targets — despite the fact that the undermanned Panthers started third-string quarterback PJ Walker. McCaffrey was his usual elusive self. He broke numerous tackles and even flattened Rams safety Taylor Rapp on one of his longer gains.

“They’re a physical defense,” McCaffrey said at his new 49ers locker on Thursday. “Everyone’s out there playing ball. Everyone’s out there taking hits, but you’ve got to give them as well. That’s what makes football so fun. I’ve got a lot of respect for (Rapp) and that defense in general, so I’m sure it’ll be physical again on Sunday.”

The 49ers and their quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo will be without star receiver Deebo Samuel, who missed all three practices this week with a hamstring injury. Among the team’s skill position players, Samuel is the primary physical enforcer — a role he’s seemed to embrace with particular zeal against the Rams.

That absence has infused even more urgency into McCaffrey’s preparations. Against Kansas City last week, he played 22 snaps. That was fresh off the trade. McCaffrey is expected to shoulder a much larger load against L.A. thanks to how quickly he’s picked up the rest of the 49ers’ playbook this week, and that might be necessary if Samuel is either unavailable or limited on Sunday.

“He sees the field very similar to a quarterback,” Garoppolo said Thursday. “He just has a good feel for space.”

Upon hearing his QB’s praise, McCaffrey smiled.

“That’s a good compliment,” he said. “You’ve really got to think like them and try to be at the right spot at the right time.”

That spot, for the second in 14 days, might be SoFi Stadium.

Here are 10 observations and our predictions for Sunday’s NFC West clash.

1. Injury report: Like Samuel, 49ers receiver Jauan Jennings has a hamstring injury and missed practice all three days of practice this week. However, Jennings did run sprints on the side during while wearing a helmet on both Thursday and Friday, a good sign that he is progressing from his injury. Jennings is officially listed as questionable.

The 49ers will without defensive lineman Arik Armstead, who last played in the team’s win over the Rams in Week 4 but has since been sidelined with plantar fasciitis and a related ankle injury. Linebacker Dre Greenlaw and fullback Kyle Juszczyk, who had surgery on his broken finger Monday, are also both out.

Cornerback Jason Verrett, who was activated off the physically unable to perform list this week in his recovery from last season’s ACL tear, is listed as questionable.

49ers are struggling without Arik Armstead’s massive impact on run defense

2. When the Rams won the Super Bowl last season, they were an eminently balanced team. So far this year, that has certainly not been the case.

What’s happened?

For starters, the Rams have seen considerable erosion along their foundations — the offensive and defensive lines. The retirement of left tackle Andrew Whitworth was the first in a string of blows to L.A.’s pass protection, and the loss of edge defender Von Miller to Buffalo in free agency has tangibly worsened the Rams’ pass rush.

Those problems have cast domino effects. Although L.A.’s defense has managed to stay afloat, the offense is limping. That unit’s biggest statistical tumble has come in ESPN’s pass-block win rate. In 2021, the Rams ranked No. 1. This season, they’re mired down at No. 23.

3. The 49ers thrashed L.A.’s offensive line in their 24-9 win at Levi’s Stadium earlier this month, amassing seven sacks and 35 pressures against Stafford.

But the Rams will look significantly different up front in this rematch. For one, their starting left tackle from Week 4, Joe Noteboom, has since been lost for the season with a torn Achilles. L.A. is moving Alaric Jackson, who’s been the team’s best pass protector, to Noteboom’s former spot. The Rams are also set to return starting center Brian Allen, whose injury versus the 49ers forced them to play third-stringer Jeremiah Kolone at the position.

So Noteboom and Kolone, who allowed 12 of the 49ers’ 35 pressures in that first game, won’t be in the lineup for this one. It’s a new challenge for Nick Bosa and company.

4. Take a quick glance back up at the DVOA table above. The 2022 Rams are worse than their 2021 counterparts in all but one area: run defense.

L.A. ranks No. 2 in that phase of the game, thanks in large part to solid work from Donald, fellow defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson and linebackers Bobby Wagner and Ernest Jones. Outside of a 32-yard touchdown from running back Jeff Wilson Jr., the 49ers only managed 2.7 yards per carry in Week 4.

But that score counted and the 49ers will strive to deliver a similarly effective opening punch on Sunday. They landed that one with Wilson thanks to some early completions from Garoppolo which softened L.A.’s defense and set up a “wham” block from 49ers tight end Charlie Woerner against much heavier Rams defensive tackle Greg Gaines.

The block clearly caught a destabilized L.A. defense off balance.

“It just gets tight,” Garoppolo said. “So sometimes you’ve got to pass to set up the run and vice versa.”

5. Speaking of Garoppolo, artist Rita Carvalho is still drawing him every day.

Drawing No. 261 ended up being particularly timely because the 49ers opened practice by playing the closing scene music from “Star Wars: A New Hope” to open Wednesday’s practice.

6. With Talanoa Hufanga and Tashaun Gipson Sr. manning the 49ers’ two safety spots, Jimmie Ward — in his second game coming off injury — is set to again start at nickelback. When asked about his new role on Wednesday, Ward didn’t seem thrilled about it.

“I’m just doing what my coaches are telling me to do,” Ward said bluntly. “It’s my last year under contract and I’m just trying to be a great team player.”

The nickelback assignment is a massive one on Sunday. All-Pro Rams receiver Cooper Kupp, who already has 56 catches for 607 yards this season and is easily Stafford’s favorite target, lines up in the slot over 60 percent of the time.

7. McCaffrey hasn’t played on a team that’s finished above .500 since his 2017 rookie season with Carolina. He sees an opportunity to change that this season with the 49ers.

“I want to win,” McCaffrey said. “I want to win for this team. I want to win for these guys. I want to win for the whole Bay Area. They did give up a lot to get me, so there’s definitely a sense of urgency.”

McCaffrey also acknowledged Carolina’s decision to trade him has “put a chip on his shoulder.”

“I understand this is a business, but anytime someone gets rid of you or something happens, you take it personally,” McCaffrey said. “I’m so happy to be there, but it’s part of the league. It happens to coaches, happens to players. Just more wood on the fire.”

Shortly after McCaffrey made this comments, a reporter asked 49ers left tackle Trent Williams — who was dealt from Washington to the 49ers in 2020 — if he could relate to some hard post-trade feelings.

“No, I can’t relate to that one,” Williams said, breaking into a smile and hearty laughter. “I wanted to get traded! I was ecstatic. I was really happy when I got the news.”

8. The 49ers have struggled to maintain offensive rhythm for a full 60 minutes so far this season. Many theories exist as to why this has been the case — with scoring down across the NFL, it’s apparent that much of the league has been in a similar boat — but perhaps the 49ers have at least one easily identifiable culprit: drops.

Samuel has four drops, the highest total on the team. Jennings and Aiyuk both have two.

9. The 49ers’ special teams, which finished ranked No. 26 in DVOA last season, has also languished in 2022. The team is again ranked No. 26 in that phase of the game. Kickoff overage (where the 49ers rank No. 28) and kick returns (where they rank No. 32) have been especially problematic.

A potentially easy improvement? Perhaps returner Ray-Ray McCloud III should stop taking kickoffs that could be touchbacks out of the end zone. This charting shows the 49ers have only one return in six tries that has successfully crossed the 25-yard line. The team’s average starting field position after kickoff returns that could’ve been touchbacks is their own 16.7-yard line.

10. Tight end Ross Dwelley is expected to fill in for Juszczyk. He played four games at fullback in 2019 when Juszczyk was hurt. The 49ers did lose some rushing efficiency during that stretch, but they’re confident that Dwelley — who’s packed on some muscle since that initial foray three seasons ago — is more ready for the task this time.

“When you’re the second tight end on the field, it’s kind of similar to what Juice does,” Dwelley said Wednesday. “There’s a lot of similarities for sure. … But you’re also blocking on the move a lot more. The tight end is a lot of base blocks starting from the line of scrimmage. With fullback you can manipulate a little bit more, because you get movement in the backfield and you can manipulate your angles when you’re going to the linebacker at the second level.”

49ers vs. Rams predictions

Matt Barrows: Kyle Shanahan going into a Rams game without Samuel is like King Arthur going into battle without Excalibur. No one cuts down the Rams quite like Samuel. So what does Shanahan do? He leans on his new weapon, McCaffrey, who, like Samuel, runs the ball and catches passes equally well. In fact, the 49ers could even double down by having McCaffrey and Wilson on the field at the same time. Wilson has been underutilized as a pass catcher so far and seeing both would put the Rams defense in a jam.

David Lombardi: A limited or unavailable Samuel against the Rams, who’ve also made significant O-line changes since the 49ers dominated them earlier this month, spells trouble. Shanahan’s team might have to dig itself out of a 3-5 hole for the second straight season.

Rams injury report: Leonard Floyd (knee) sits out Thursday

• https://theramswire.usatoday.com/2022/09/15/rams-injury-report-thursday-falcons-update/