Robert Woods, Rams’ top receiver, to miss multiple games with shoulder injury
RICH HAMMOND
link: http://www.ocregister.com/2017/11/20/robert-woods-rams-top-receiver-to-miss-multiple-games-with-shoulder-injury/
THOUSAND OAKS — Robert Woods, the Rams’ top receiver, fierce run blocker and all-around offensive security blanket, won’t be on the field for at least two playoff-determining late-season games.
Woods suffered an injury to his left shoulder late in Sunday’s loss to Minnesota, and while he avoided surgery, he will need to miss time. In his Monday press conference at Cal Lutheran, Coach Sean McVay said “the optimistic approach is, hopefully, a couple weeks.”
“He has done a lot of great things,” McVay said of Woods. “That’s an opportunity for some other guys to step up, and I know he will take care of himself and hopefully we will get him back sooner than later, but that’s what it is right now.”
That means Woods will miss Sunday’s game against New Orleans, a contest that figures to be an offensive shootout, and the following week’s game at Arizona.
Woods leads the Rams this season in receptions (47) and pass targets (70), and his 703 receiving yards are more than 200 more than any other Rams player. Woods also is tied for the team high with four touchdowns and, in his last two games, he totaled 252 yards and two touchdowns.
McVay said Woods got hurt during the Rams’ final drive of the fourth quarter Sunday, when he caught a 15-yard pass and was tackled by Vikings safety Harrison Smith, who fell on Woods.
“What he represents, week in and week out, just from the way he goes about his business, he contributes (a lot),” McVay said. “He has played like a complete receiver. Underneath, intermediate, down the field. That’s a significant loss for us, but there are guys we have confidence in to step in and feel that void.”
First on that list, presumably, is Sammy Watkins, who was acquired in an August trade with the idea that he would be a field-stretching, touchdown threat. Watkins is tied with Woods with four touchdowns, but Watkins has made only 24 catches in 10 games and ranks fourth on the Rams with 408 yards.
Rookie Cooper Kupp, the Rams’ second-leading receiver, and lesser-used receivers such as Pharoh Cooper, Mike Thomas and rookie Josh Reynolds, also could take on bigger roles, but much attention also will turn to veteran Tavon Austin, whose role with the Rams has diminished greatly this season.
Austin, the Rams’ highest-paid player and, at one point, their top offensive target, participated in two of the Rams’ 59 offensive plays against Minnesota and did not touch the ball on either play. McVay said he wasn’t immediately sure whether Austin would return to the role of a more conventional receiver.
“That’s something we’ll discuss,” McVay said. “It’s something that could be by committee, with the depth we do have, finding ways to get Tavon more involved — which, I’ve got to do a better job with that — and then Josh and Mike and Pharoh. I think it will require a by-committee approach.”
It’s been a slow, steady descent for Austin, who signed a four-year, $42-million contract extension 15 months ago. He lost his role as a regular receiver and basically became a backup to running back Todd Gurley. Then he lost his punt-returning duties.
Sunday’s game marked a nadir for Austin. His previous low was seven plays in the season opener. Austin has only seven receptions this season, and 36 carries for 171 yards.
“Bottom line, Tavon is too dynamic of a playmaker for our offense to not try to get him more involved than (Sunday),” McVay said. “You can sit here and make excuses that we didn’t have enough snaps and things like that, but it’s on me, and I’ve got to do a better job of getting a feel for the flow of the game and finding a way to get him involved, especially when that was part of our plan.”
This could be something of a last chance for Austin. After this season, the Rams could cut him and retain a salary-cap hit of only $5 million. This season, including bonuses, Austin is making more than $14.9 million (or $936,000-plus per game), which accounts for nine percent of the Rams’ salary-cap total.
INJURY REPORT
McVay said starting cornerback Kayvon Webster is in the NFL’s concussion protocol and that starting nickelback Nickell Robey-Coleman is still dealing with the thigh injury that took him out of Sunday’s game.
“It seemed like (Webster) was in good shape (Monday),” McVay said, “so taking steps in the right direction. Nickell, we’ll monitor him as the week progresses.”
Cornerback Troy Hill, who missed Sunday’s game with a hamstring injury, is expected to return to practice Wednesday, McVay said, and that’s good news given that on Sunday, the Rams face New Orleans and quarterback Drew Brees, who passed for 385 yards Sunday against Washington.
“That definitely is a concern,” McVay said of his cornerback depth, “especially when you look at the top offense that we’re getting ready to play this week. The thing that’s so impressive is, they’ve consistently, over the last handful of years, thrown the ball as well as anybody, and now they’re able to run it as well.”
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Agamemnon
