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The Los Angeles Rams will open their 2016 regular season against the San Francisco 49ers on Monday. They’ll be without three players, including two rookies:
Los Angeles Rams |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | POS | Injury | Thu. Status | Fri. Status | Sat. Status | Game Status |
| Bryce Hager | LB | Concussion | Limited | Full | Full | Questionable |
| Rob Havenstein | OT | Foot | Limited | Full | Full | Questionable |
| Nelson Spruce | WR | Knee | DNP | DNP | Limited | Out |
| Pharoh Cooper | WR | Shoulder | DNP | DNP | DNP | Out |
| E.J. Gaines | CB | Thigh | DNP | DNP | DNP | Out |
Well, if there was a fear based on the initial injury report, this was it. Spruce, Cooper and Gaines are all going to sit out on Monday. So while Spruce was upgraded, perhaps offering optimism that he’ll be able to go in Week 2 after suffering an injury in the Rams’ first preseason game, he’ll wait to take his first meaningful NFL snap. Cooper is also going to have to wait. The question for Pharoh is one of when he’ll be able to return at least to practice. That he was unable to do so this week is unawesome. And Gaines...well, he had that minor comeback in the preseason from an intial injury. Let’s hope for a quick second successive one as part of his overall major comeback after missing all of 2015.
Here’s the 49ers’ side of the report:
San Francisco 49ers |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | POS | Injury | Thu. Status | Fri. Status | Sat. Status | Game Status |
| Anthony Davis | OT | Not Injury Related | - | - | DNP | Questionable |
| Arik Armstead | DL | Shoulder | Limited | Limited | Limited | Questionable |
| Nick Bellore | LB | Knee | Limited | Limited | Limited | Questionable |
| Quinton Dial | DT | Knee | Limited | Limited | Limited | Questionable |
| Glenn Dorsey | DL | Knee | DNP | Limited | Limited | Questionable |
| Keith Reaser | CB | Ankle | DNP | Limited | Limited | Questionable |
| Chris Davis | CB | Hamstring | DNP | DNP | DNP | Doubtful |
The key question here is one that we’re going to have to track league-wide this year: the use of the “questionable” designation with the elimination of the “probable” designation in 2016.
Note that for the Rams, Hager and Havenstein were full participants in the final two practices. Meanwhile for the 49ers listed as such, five were limited in practice and one, Anthony Davis, is considering retiring entirely.
As it stands, the Rams will have to roll out the 2016 carpet without Cooper, Spruce and Gaines.