A knee injury threatens to keep linebacker Leonard Floyd out of the Los Angeles Rams’ Week 2 tilt against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, and the team has devised a rotation of replacements to fill the void in his absence. Head coach Sean McVay revealed his plan to deal with the loss of the defensive stalwart on Friday in Los Angeles’ media availability session, telling reporters that he intends to give three players more snaps if Floyd cannot play.
“We’re working through that right now,” He explained when asked about possible contingencies. “Obviously Justin Hollins and Terrell Lewis will get the bulk of the workload. Keir Thomas is a guy that’s going to be ready. He did a great job of being able to earn a spot based on how he’s played throughout training camp. What that other position looks like if we do bring up a fourth, if Flo can’t go, we’re kind of working through that right now.”
Few players in the NFL could serve as a one-to-one replacement for Floyd, who has been the Rams’ resident sack master in the last two seasons. His exceptional ability to get after the quarterback has been a boon for the team since he signed with Los Angeles in 2020.
A 10.5-sack season in his first year with the Rams was good for the most productive year of his career, and he followed up the impressive showing with 9.5 sacks last year in the team’s Super Bowl campaign. Expectations were high for Floyd entering 2022, but until the knee injury is resolved, fans will have to wait to see the star linebacker in action.
The Falcons shouldn’t pose much of a threat to Los Angeles in Week 2, though, and Floyd’s absence is not expected to be a primary factor in the game’s outcome. Los Angeles’ backups should prove to be capable replacements while he licks his wounds, and his absence will provide them with valuable playing time to gauge their development.