An overlooked loss on the medical staff after LA’s Super Bowl win may be the reason for their recent injury struggles
The infamous 2022 Los Angeles Rams season was one that fans try to block out from their memories as the team struggle to a 5-12 record after winning the Super Bowl just a year prior. The season was defined by the massive amount of injuries that the team was forced to suffered through. It was something that Sean McVay had not really had to deal with in his head coaching career up to that point, at least on that large of a scale.
So what changed in LA that lead to the team going from one of the least injured football teams to the most? One unnoticed loss on their medical staff after the Super Bowl could lead to some answers.
In the offseason before the disastrous 2022 season, Rams former offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell was hired as the Minnesota Vikings head coach. In his move to Minnesota, O’Connell took LA’s director of sports science/assistant athletic trainer Tyler Williams with him, promoting Williams to Executive Director of Player Health & Performance after his 15-year stint with the Rams.
“Tyler led the cutting-edge sports science efforts with the Rams that played a huge role in the success there,” said Vikings Head Coach Kevin O’Connell back in 2022. “He is extremely bright and a great leader. I’m excited about the positive impact he will make for the Minnesota Vikings.”
During Williams’ time with LA, specifically in the span of 2017-2021, the team was ranked in the top 10 healthiest teams each season, with three of the years being in the top four. Williams was also named the NFC recipient of the Professional Football Athletic Trainers Society’s (PFATS) Tim Davey Assistant Athletic Trainer of the Year award after the 2020 season.
Williams has served as the director of internal education for PFATS since 2017, and is also currently the president of the PFATs Foundation. He’s on the Sports Science Task Force of Research & Innovation Committee and is a member of the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA). He is also on the Lower Extremity Task Force for the NFL Musculoskeletal Community.
Following the departure of Williams, the Rams dropped to 29th in the healthiest team ranking, a stark contrast from being seventh in 2021. While Los Angeles rebounded in 2023, injuries still linger through out the season with QB Matthew Stafford, RB Kyren Williams and WR Cooper Kupp all missing time.
Obviously, this current 2024 season has only gotten worse since then. Just two weeks into the season, the Rams head into Week 3 down their top two options at WR, three key offensive linemen, their starting tight end, two starting corners and their starting safety. Even kicker Joshua Karty is dealing with a groin injury.
On the plus side, all of these injuries have happened early, and if the Rams can patch work this roster together and steal a few wins, they may be able to stay afloat just in time for everyone to come back off of IR. That said, Williams is not returning any time soon and his loss still seems like a factor hanging over the team. Los Angeles will hope for some good fortune on the injury front going forward, but the team may need to at least consider a change to their current rehabilitation and player health program if they hope to change their luck.
