A year ago, the Los Angeles Rams opened the 2017 season in Week 1 with a linebacking corps of Robert Quinn, Mark Barron, Alec Ogletree and Connor Barwin.
With Quinn and Tree traded this offseason and Barwin having left in free agency, the only remaining member was Barron. And now given the final injury report for Week 1 with Barron listed as DOUBTFUL, there’s a very, very good chance the Rams will start the 2018 regular season with an entirely new linebacking group:
2018 LA Rams Week 1 injury report
| Name | POS | Injury | Thu. Status | Fri. Status | Sat. Status | Game Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | POS | Injury | Thu. Status | Fri. Status | Sat. Status | Game Status |
| Justin Davis | RB | Hamstring | Limited | Full | Full | – |
| Mark Barron | ILB | Ankle | DNP | DNP | DNP | Doubtful |
It’s going to make for some interesting decisions for Defensive Coordinator Wade Phillips less so in terms of naming a starting replacement (likely ILB Ramik Wilson) but moreso for rotation.
With a likely pairing of Wilson and Cory Littleton inside flanked by Matt Longacre and Samson Ebukam outside, the real interest here will be in what percentage of defensive snaps they get and who they rotate with if at all.
For the Oakland Raiders, they start 2018 with a pretty favorable injury report:
2018 Oakland Raiders Week 1 injury report
| Name | POS | Injury | Thu. Status | Fri. Status | Sat. Status | Game Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | POS | Injury | Thu. Status | Fri. Status | Sat. Status | Game Status |
| Nick Nelson | CB | Hamstring | Full | Full | Full | – |
| Tahir Whitehead | LB | Ankle | Limited | Full | Full | – |
| Marshawn Lynch | RB | Groin | Limited | Limited | Limited | – |
| Kelechi Osemele | G/T | Back | Limited | Limited | Limited | – |
| Brian Price | DT | Hamstring | Limited | Limited | Limited | Questionable |
| DeAndre Washington | RB | Knee | DNP | DNP | DNP | Out |