St. Louis Rams second-year cornerback Jerome Murphy has a broken ankle. He apparently hit a divot in the field coming down, defending Danario Alexander in a drill yesterday. No word on how serious the injury is, but he could be out as long as ten weeks.
All of which depends on the severity. Hopefully, Murphy can be back in action. The silver lining, if there is one, is that Murphy doesn't have to miss the entire season. The Rams can put him on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, which would allow him to return as soon as week 6. That lines up nicely with the more dire 10 week projection. Correction. Murphy is not eligible for the PUP list because he practiced in camp. That makes it more complicated for the Rams. Keep him on the roster until he can return, around week 4 (with a bye in week 5), and hope that he's fully ready or put him on IR and force him to miss the entire season. If they went the later route, they could probably find another corner to take him place, either now or when roster cuts happen closer to the start of the season.
However, depending on the severity, the injury could impact him even when he does return, so keep an eye on this situation. It's a tough break for Murphy, a third-round pick in 2010. A physical corner, he was being counted on to play a big role as the team's third cornerback.