Tag: Cobie Durant

The latest on every Rams injury heading into Week 2

The Rams are dealing with a boatload of injuries right now. Here’s the latest on every player heading into Week 2.

The Los Angeles Rams’ list of injuries after just one game is starting to resemble what some teams’ injury reports look like in Week 12. They’re incredibly banged up entering their second week of the regular season after losing Puka Nacua, Steve Avila and Joe Noteboom in Sunday’s loss to the Detroit Lions.

They weren’t the only players to get hurt, either. Their injuries are just the most significant and will sideline them multiple weeks.

With so many injuries to track, below is the latest on each player Sean McVay referenced in his press conference on Monday. There could be other nicks and bruises but as of now, these are the most notable injuries entering Week 2.

OL Steve Avila (sprained MCL): Out 4-6 weeks

Avila is likely going to be placed on injured reserve, which will force him to miss at least the next four games. Jordan Schultz reported Monday that Avila is expected to be out 4-6 weeks, so the Rams could be looking at a Week 7 or 8 return for their starting left guard. In his place, Beaux Limmer will play center and Jonah Jackson will move back to left guard.

WR Puka Nacua (knee): Going on IR, out at least 4 weeks

Sean McVay said Monday that Nacua will go on injured reserve. He didn’t specify how long the receiver will be out, but he did say he aggravated the knee injury that kept him out three weeks in training camp and that it’s “a little bit more significant than what was previously the situation.”

RG Kevin Dotson (ankle): Day-to-day

Dotson suffered a “little lateral sprain to his ankle” in Sunday’s loss to the Lions, but McVay said he’ll be considered day-to-day. When asked if Logan Bruss will fill in at right guard, McVay said he’s “hopeful that that ‘K-Dot’ is going to be good.”

OL Joe Noteboom (high ankle sprain): Out a few weeks

Noteboom sprained his ankle against the Lions and had to be carted to the locker room. McVay said it’s a high ankle sprain, which is the worst type of sprain, and he’ll miss a few weeks. McVay isn’t sure who will play left tackle in his absence this week; Alaric Jackson returns from his suspension in Week 3.

CB Cobie Durant (toe): Day-to-day

Durant only missed a handful of plays on Sunday but McVay revealed that he injured his toe in the loss. “He’ll kind of be day-to-day,” per McVay. It sounds like there’s a chance he’ll be able to play this weekend against the Cardinals, which is encouraging because the Rams are thin at cornerback.

RT Rob Havenstein (ankle): Day-to-day

McVay isn’t sure if Havenstein will be able to return from his ankle injury this week against the Cardinals, saying the Rams will take it “a day at a time” with him. Havenstein was questionable for Week 1 but was inactive for the game.

Rams injury report: Rob Havenstein questionable, Cobie Durant will play vs. Lions

Cobie Durant is good to go for Sunday but Rob Havenstein’s status is still TBD

Injuries have been a major story for the Los Angeles Rams this summer and it’s continued into the regular season. There have been question marks about a few players entering Week 1 against the Detroit Lions, with Cobie Durant and Rob Havenstein being the biggest.

On Friday, Sean McVay provided updates on both players, as well as Puka Nacua and Jonah Jackson. He said Nacua, Jackson and Durant will all be full participants in the final practice of the week, while Havenstein will be limited for the third day in a row.

Nacua, Jackson and Durant are all expected to play on Sunday against the Lions, which is great news for the Rams. There was never much concern with Nacua or Jackson but Durant’s status was a bit up in the air, which was particularly worrisome with Darious Williams landing on IR.

Havenstein still isn’t certain to play on Sunday but the Rams haven’t yet ruled him out. If he does miss the game, Warren McClendon Jr. will start at right tackle.

Havenstein is officially listed as questionable, but everyone else is good to go for Sunday.

For the Lions, they have three players on the injury report heading into Sunday. Backup safety Loren Strickland has been ruled out with a thumb injury, while fellow safety Ifeatu Melifonwu is doubtful to play with an ankle injury.

Defensive tackle D.J. Reader is questionable due to a quad injury.

Rams injury report: Havenstein, Durant still limited Thursday

Rob Havenstein and Cobie Durant remained limited on Thursday, putting their status for Week 1 in question

It’s only Week 1 but the Los Angeles Rams are already dealing with a handful of injury concerns. Though Puka Nacua is good to go for Week 1, he was still one of five players listed on the first injury report of the year – a list that included Darious Williams, who has since been placed on injured reserve.

Rob Havenstein and Cobie Durant remain the two biggest situations to monitor approaching Sunday night’s game against the Lions as both were limited Wednesday. On Thursday, both players remained limited, bringing into question their statuses for Sunday’s game against the Lions.

On the Lions’s side, their injury report remained unchanged.

Rams CB Cobie Durant could turn standout camp into breakout season

Cobie Durant is shining in camp and appears poised to be a key member of the starting secondary this season

Cobie Durant was one of the few bright spots in what was a very disappointing 2022 season for the Los Angeles Rams. Despite missing four games, Durant made the most of his opportunities as a third-round rookie, even leading the NFL in interception return yards (151) while playing just 33% of the Rams’ defensive snaps.

Many expected Durant to take the next step in 2023 but he was fairly inconsistent at corner and fell out of favor in the middle of the season before reemerging in the final three weeks.

The Rams signed Darious Williams and Tre’Davious White in free agency this offseason but they still need a third cornerback to round out the secondary when they’re in nickel packages, which has essentially become their base defense.

Durant could be the all-important nickel defender for Los Angeles.

Reports of Durant’s play in training camp have been unanimously positive, which is encouraging for the Rams. He has the talent to be a high-end starting cornerback, showing off his ball skills and instincts as a rookie in 2023, and he seems to be putting it all together this year.

“A guy that’s really grown,” defensive coordinator Chris Shula said Wednesday. “He’s playing a lot more outside now, where, his first year, I was actually the DBs coach, and he was playing more inside all the time. It’s a guy that’s really understanding. Tre White actually took him under his wing in the offseason. He’s really understanding route combinations, splits, exactly what he is going to get. A guy that has just been playing consistent and he really has all offseason.”

With the injuries suffered by Derion Kendrick (ACL) and Williams (hamstring), the Rams need Durant more than ever. He’s the favorite to be the third starting cornerback after the Rams seemingly made the decision to primarily play Quentin Lake at safety, so Durant is going to be on the field a lot.

Sean McVay raved about the offseason Durant has had to date, emphasizing his improvements in the mental aspects of the game – similar to the way Shula did.

“I think he’s been excellent,” McVay said. “I thought he had a really good offseason. I think he’s picked up where he left off in the offseason. Really understands what’s going on. He can see the game slowing down. I think he’s really understanding some of the things that (DBs coach) Aubrey (Pleasant) is teaching in his room, where his play opportunities arise.”

Tackling has never been a strong suit for the 5-foot-11 cornerback, missing 11 tackles in the last two years. And while he was great in coverage as a rookie in 2022 but he gave up 370 yards on only 42 targets last season, allowing a passer rating of 98.3.

Durant looked to be on his way to a breakout 2023 season after emerging as a playmaking rookie, but he suffered a second-year slump. His third year in the Rams defense could be the one that elevates him to new heights.

Should the Rams make a change at CB with Derion Kendrick struggling?

Derion Kendrick had his worst game of the season on Sunday, leading many fans to call for a change at cornerback

For the most part, it’s been an up-and-down season for Derion Kendrick at cornerback. The second-year defender has been a starter for all but one game in 2023, and while he’s had some excellent performances and made big plays, he’s also made too many mistakes in coverage.

His worst performance of the season came on Sunday against Washington when he allowed seven receptions on eight targets for a total of 153 yards and two touchdowns. He also committed a pass interference penalty in the end zone that helped set up the Commanders’ last touchdown.

Penalties and big plays have plagued Kendrick all season, often being the blemishes on what might’ve been solid outings. He’s been called for 11 penalties and has given up receptions that went for 38 yards, 39 yards, 42 yards and 48 yards.

His 566 yards allowed in coverage are the 17th-most among all cornerbacks this season, landing him a 59.9 overall grade this season, according to Pro Football Focus.

After Sunday’s performance where he allowed two long plays and committed a pass interference penalty, several Rams fans were calling for him to be benched – and understandably so. Sean McVay was asked about whether changes will be made in the secondary amid Kendrick’s struggles but he was non-committal on shaking things up.

“We’re just in the early parts of getting ready,” he said Monday. “You kind of accelerate your postgame process. I thought our defense played really well. There were those two drives that could make it feel a lot different than what it was. There were a lot of good things. We had some communication things on their first touchdown we got to do a better job of. And then you just mentioned it, (Commanders WR) Terry McLaurin is a baller and there were some isolation situations where sometimes it’s not going to go down for you and he ended up making some good plays. What I think we need to be able to learn from, and I want ‘DK’ to be able to learn from and not exclusive to him, us overall, is okay on the first touchdown, how do we make sure with a tool that we play that better so we don’t leave the corner route open? When we get them in a fourth down and seven, how can we make sure that we’re not giving ourselves a chance to foul and give them a fresh set of downs playing with the good techniques?”

It sounds like the Rams will probably stick with Kendrick as a starting cornerback again this week when the Saints come to town. McVay still wants to see him improve, particularly in the mental aspect of the game.

“Some of the things that we can control above the neck and being smarter situationally, those are the things that we want to improve upon,” McVay continued. “He’s shown that he can respond to that, but I think there’s a tendency, and I felt this way too, that oh man, it felt a lot different than what the totality of the game was because it was that most recent exposure in regards to when  (Jacoby) Brissett comes in and manufactures two scoring drives and the way that it went down. And it seemed like ‘DK’ was in the middle of that action, but he’ll learn from it. He’s a mentally tough guy and we’ll figure out what we think is the best way to try to defend a really good team that’s playing at a high clip on Thursday.”

If the Rams wanted to make a change at cornerback, there aren’t many options available. Duke Shelley is on injured reserve and Tre Tomlinson has a thigh injury, so he may not be healthy enough to play on Thursday night.

It’s possible the Rams could go with a starting lineup of Ahkello Witherspoon, Cobie Durant and Quentin Lake, along with Jordan Fuller and John Johnson III, but there’s been no indication that a change like that will be made.

It might be time to shake things up, though, because the playoffs are approaching and Kendrick hasn’t always been reliable in big moments.

Rams Week 11 inactives: Cobie Durant out vs. Seahawks

Cobie Durant is officially inactive and won’t play against the Seahawks today

The Los Angeles Rams came into Sunday with far fewer injury concerns than they’ve had in recent weeks. Matthew Stafford, Ernest Jones and Rob Havenstein are all back after missing Week 9, while Bobby Brown III has also been activated off injured reserve and will be available against the Seattle Seahawks.

Cobie Durant was the only player listed as questionable to play and he’s officially inactive. He won’t be available against the Seahawks, which means Duke Shelley could get more playing time in the secondary.

Quentin Lake has also played significant snaps in the slot, so expect to see him on the field plenty in passing situations.

In addition to Durant, Nick Hampton, Zach Thomas, Warren McClendon Jr. and Earnest Brown IV are also inactive.

Rams-Seahawks injury report: Cobie Durant, Tyler Lockett both questionable

Cobie Durant is the only Rams player that will carry an injury designation into Sunday’s game against the Seahawks

Sean McVay said on Friday that the Rams are probably as healthy as they’ve been all season as they head into this weekend’s game against the Seahawks, and that’s certainly reflected on the injury report. They had no major concerns this week with everyone practicing in some capacity, including Matthew Stafford – who was a full participant all week.

The only player who will be listed as questionable for this weekend’s game is Cobie Durant, who’s still recovering from a stinger suffered a few weeks ago. McVay said he’ll be limited again on Friday and the team will see how he’s feeling this weekend in advance of the game.

Otherwise, everyone else will be good to go. Rob Havenstein and Ernest Jones are set to return after missing Week 9 with injuries, and Puka Nacua is good to go after being limited to begin the week.

For the Seahawks, Tyler Lockett, Jamal Adams, Abraham Lucas and Tre Brown are all questionable to play. Dareke Young has also been ruled out already.

Rams injury report: Matthew Stafford a full participant, Puka Nacua limited

Matthew Stafford is back to being a full participant in practice, but Puka Nacua and 3 others are still limited

Fresh off their bye, the Los Angeles Rams come into Week 11 much healthier than they were the last time they took the field against the Green Bay Packers. Matthew Stafford, Ernest Jones and Rob Havenstein are all expected to return after missing Week 9, and the initial injury report on Wednesday gives no reason to doubt that.

Sean McVay provided updates on the Rams’ injuries before practice and only four players will be limited:

  • Rob Havenstein (calf)
  • Cobie Durant (shoulder)
  • Larrell Murchison (knee)
  • Puka Nacua (knee)

Everyone else will be a full participant, including Stafford. McVay said Stafford will throw in practice and there will be no limitations in terms of taking snaps under center because of his thumb injury.

McVay also said Havenstein is “tracking well” and he still expects the big right tackle to suit up against the Seahawks on Sunday. As for Nacua, “he’s just banged up,” McVay said.

“Just the style at which he plays, I’ll be interested to see if he’s ever truly back full speed – not full speed, but feeling like you don’t have to be cognizant of taking care of him to get him to game day feeling as good as possible,” he added.

The full injury report for both the Seahawks and Rams can be seen below.

Cobie Durant questionable to return vs. Packers with shoulder injury

Cobie Durant had to leave the game with an injury for the second week in a row

For the second week in a row, Cobie Durant had to leave the field early due to injury. He suffered a stinger last week against the Cowboys and on Sunday in Green Bay, he exited with a shoulder injury.

He’s once again questionable to return.

Durant was getting more opportunities to play outside, with Quentin Lake getting some snaps in the slot. Derion Kendrick has had his role reduced after his recent struggles as the outside cornerback.

Cobie Durant suffers shoulder injury, questionable to return vs. Cowboys

Cobie Durant left the game in the first half with a shoulder injury and is questionable to return

When it rains, it pours.

The Los Angeles Rams dug themselves a deep hole in the first half against the Dallas Cowboys, going down 26-3 early. To make matters worse, Cobie Durant has a shoulder injury and is questionable to return.

That leaves the Rams without one of their top three cornerbacks, which is bad news against an offense as potent as the Cowboys’.