Rams defensive tackle Dominique Easley was carted off the field during practice today and likely suffered a “serious” knee injury, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). He’ll undergo an MRI tonight, tweets Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News.
Despite being one of the more productive collegiate interior pass rushers in recent memory, Easley fell to the bottom of the first round 2014 due to a pair of knee injuries. The Florida product had seasons cut short in both 2011 and 2013 after suffering torn ACLs, so if that’s the diagnosis for Easley this time around, it would mark the third such injury for the 25-year-old.
Waived after only two seasons with the Patriots, Easley has found a home with the Rams. In 2016, Easley was exceptional, as he played 470 defensive snaps while posting 3.5 sacks and grading the league’s No. 30 interior defender among 125 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus. He had been expected to play starter’s snaps during the upcoming season, especially given that he already has experience in a 3-4 scheme, which new Los Angeles defensive coordinator Wade Phillips is installing.
A potential Easley loss is even more debilitating given standout defensive lineman Aaron Donald‘s holdout. Donald, who is seeking a new contract, isn’t attending training camp, and while he may yet report before the regular season gets underway, the Rams could now be without two of their top three interior players for the majority of the preseason.
Easley, who was tendered at the original round level as a restricted free agent, is scheduled to hit the open market in 2018. If he has torn an ACL yet again, Easley’s stock as a free agent will clearly be negatively affected next spring.