Sean McVay said earlier this week that only one player would be placed on injured reserve after the Rams trimmed their roster to 53. It took a few days, but on Friday, Los Angeles officially put Ochaun Mathis on IR, thus sidelining him for at least the first four games of the regular season.
Mathis had to make the 53-man roster before going on IR in order to be eligible to return this season, so that’s the reason for the Rams taking that approach. Otherwise, if he were put on IR before roster cuts, he would’ve been ruled out for the entire year.
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• Reserve/Injured LB Ochaun Mathis— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) September 1, 2023
Mathis has been dealing with a knee injury since early in training camp, causing him to miss all four preseason games in August. He was a sixth-round pick this year and brings talent to the outside linebacker group, which the Rams will hopefully see sooner rather than later.
With Mathis going on IR, the Rams now have 52 players on their active roster, meaning they have an open spot available. They did not announce a corresponding move with Mathis going on IR.