Rams’ Matthew Stafford set to be without key weapon to start season after PUP list move
Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams are heading into the season in a bind. Although Puka Nacua is expected to be available when the Rams open the regular season, they’ll be without star tight end Tyler Higbee. As part of the NFL’s annual preseason roster cutdowns, the Rams placed Higbee on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) List due to injury. This will require him to miss at least the first four games of the season, but he is eligible to return at any point after that.
This move was expected. Higbee is still battling back from a devastating injury, which isn’t how the Rams want to start their year. Higbee tore his ACL and MCL in January after the Rams’ playoff loss to the Lions. He took a low hit from safety Kerby Joseph, which resulted in significant damage to his right knee.
The Rams have not given a timetable for Higbee to return, but considering how severe the injury is, they’ll likely take it slow with the veteran tight end. Knowing he would likely miss time this season, the Rams signed Colby Parkinson in free agency, so they’ll turn to him as their starter. While Higbee is out, Davis Allen and Hunter Long will also contribute at tight end.
How far will the Rams go this year?
David Reginek-USA TODAY Sports
Not having Higbee available is just another indication of how old and beat-up this Rams squad is getting. Time isn’t on Los Angeles’s side heading into this season since Stafford and Cooper Kupp aren’t getting any younger. Speaking of Stafford, fans might feel uneasy about his future with the Rams and the team this upcoming season.
The Rams aren’t the favorite to win the division, and the general vibe is unease about what’s next. Los Angeles will undoubtedly be the greatest challenge to the San Francisco 49ers, who are the favorite. But how far can the Rams go with age and injury concerns hitting this roster?
Thankfully, Los Angeles’s matchups on their schedule are favorable over the first 11 weeks. If they can find solid footing in that long of a stretch, then things should be okay. But if they aren’t, things could get dicey for the Rams towards the end of the season.
While it might be a tall order if Los Angeles wants to maximize what it has left with Stafford at quarterback, they’ll have to go down swinging.
The post Rams’ Matthew Stafford set to be without key weapon to start season after PUP list move appeared first on ClutchPoints.
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