LA Rams focus on fitness leads to expanding Sports medicine staff

The LA Rams are not solely looking at the 90-man player roster, nor the coaching staff, to shoulder the burden of improving the team for the 2024 NFL season. That is a bit of a surprise. According to Football Scoop’s John Brice, the team has hired a quartet of professionals to their Sports Medicine and Performance department

The LA Rams are not exactly strangers when it comes to ensuring adequate staff are on hand to handle players’ needs. But perhaps the fact that key offensive players including QB Matthew Stafford, WR Cooper Kupp, RB Kyren Williams, and TEs Tyler Higbee and Hunter Long were enough to emphasize the need for the team to expand staff in one of the most critical areas of the team. Namely, Sports Medicine.

As Brice reveals in his article:

“The Rams are bringing aboard Joe Distor from the Houston Texans and Chris Aninye from the University of Tennessee as support staff strength training associates.
Additionally, the Rams have added Trent Frey as their performance science coordinator.
Finally, Justin Chatman from Furman University is set to join the franchise in a performance science/strength and conditioning fellowship position”

– John Brice

That seems like a massive expansion for the team in one year’s time. But after examining the volume of injuries to the team’s key offensive weapons in 2023, and NFL regulations that continue to modify the rules over the use of the Injured Reserve designation, the investment seems both timely and shrewd.

As key players age, the time required to heal and recover from even minor injuries increases. Since QB Matthew Stafford, WR Cooper Kupp, and TE Tyler Higbee are all on the other side of 30 years old. they will need all the support the team can muster to ensure that any injuries are handled with optimal care.

Not only that, but the team’s fascination with smallish running backs like Kyren Williams, Ronnie Rivers, Blake Corum, and Boston Scott means that the Sport Medicine group will be fully engaged in ensuring that fatigue and soft tissue injuries are kept at a minimum this season.

The team appeared to experience a small breakout of minor injuries in 2023 that could have derailed the offensive firepower significantly. With four more professionals on staff to assist players to remain healthy and fit, while also aiding their recovery should injury befall them, the team is improving their chances for success in the new NFL season.

As always, thanks for reading.