Ever since Sean McVay took the reins as Los Angeles Rams head coach, his franchise has been at the forefront of sports medicine and has constantly prioritized player safety, going to extreme measures to do so.
McVay and company find themselves at a crossroads following the NFL's trade deadline, as the roster is missing a bunch of superstars due to injury. To the players' credit, they have fought exceptionally hard and continue to fight in order to play, with Colby Parkinson and Trent McDuffie leading those efforts over the last several weeks.
However, the coaching staff faces a weekly dilemma of protecting players from themselves, while balancing a "return to performance" with a "return to play," especially with position groups that are lacking
in depth. McVay spoke about that battle on Wednesday.
“That's a good question," said McVay. "I think the biggest thing is, are you putting them out there when they could further risk injury? And we always would say no on those. But if you're saying, ‘I'm not feeling great and is 80% better than something else?’ As long as there's no risk for further injury or you're not having to do something that could leave them susceptible to unnecessary injuries, we always talk about those things. I do think the guys that have accumulated a bunch of experience, they're able to better articulate and understand themselves based on the knowledge that's gained through the experience, understanding your body, and what do you need to be able to perform at a certain level.
"Even what I was talking about with Davante, he has great awareness, great understanding of how he physically feels. He's a guy that's played at such a high level for such a long period of time. There's been some games that he probably didn't feel great that he was still able to figure it out and perform. As long as it doesn't leave them susceptible to further injury, we'll always explore those things.”
To the Rams' credit, they did hold off on playing Aaron Donald against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 3, despite his wanting to play, and they worked with Jaylen Watson, who wanted to battle through a shoulder injury until his situation required season-ending surgery.
McVay emphasizes building a rapport with his players, allowing the trust and communication needed to deal with these decisions within such a hard-hitting sport.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Sean McVay opens up about not rushing players back from injury
