When you’re 4-8 and mired in a five-game losing streak that cost the offensive coordinator his job, there’s not much reason to sit around and wait to find out if injured players are going to be able to make it back for a game or two at the end of the year.
The Rams are in that position and coach Jeff Fisher announced Wednesday that two defensive starters will be having season-ending surgeries in the near future. Defensive end Robert Quinn will have back surgery and safety T.J. McDonald are the unlucky parties going into the operating room.
Quinn will have back surgery after missing four of the last five games. The injuries helped make it a disappointing season for Quinn, who also battled knee problems on his way to five sacks in eight games this year after racking up 40 over the previous three seasons. Quinn is signed through 2019, so he’ll be back next year in an effort to get back on track.
McDonald is set for shoulder surgery after starting 11 of the team’s 12 games this season. He had 63 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble and will return for the final year of the contract he signed as a 2013 third-round pick.