The Los Angeles Rams reportedly have placed cornerback Darious Williams on injured reserve ahead of their Week 1 game on the road against the Detroit Lions, according to Field Yates of ESPN.

Williams had been dealing with a hamstring strain since early on in training camp, and it seems he still needs a significant amount of time to recover.

With Darious Williams headed to IR, he will miss at least the first four games of the season. If Williams is able to return to action by the time he is eligible to come off of IR, he will return for the Oct. 6 home game against the Green Bay Packers.

It is a big loss for the Rams, who are looking to build off of their trip to the playoffs in 2024. It does not help that the games Williams will miss come against some tough opponents. The Lions defeated the Rams in the playoffs last season and nearly made it to the Super Bowl. The Rams are more talented than the Arizona Cardinals, but that offense has some firepower with Trey McBride, as well as Marvin Harrison Jr. Then Los Angeles will play the San Francisco 49ers, arguably the most talented team in the NFL. The fourth game comes on the road against the Chicago Bears, and team that is hopeful for a playoff trip this year with Caleb Williams taking over for Justin Fields at quarterback. It would be good if Williams is able to make it back for that Packers game, as many believe they are a Super Bowl contender this season.

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Rams look to upset Lions without Darious Williams

It will be a tough task for the Rams to defend the Lions without Williams. Detroit has a dangerous offense, especially when Jared Goff is throwing to Amon-Ra St. Brown. While St. Brown usually plays in the slot, it does not help that Williams will be missing from the secondary. That could open up things for someone like Jameson Williams. Other weapons that could present problems are running back Jahmyr Gibbs and tight end Sam LaPorta.

The Rams could have a big day on offense, however, as the Lions' secondary is not regarded as a strength. Matthew Stafford should have plenty of opportunities to throw to players like Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp. It will be interesting to see who comes out on top this time. The Lions narrowly escaped with a win in last year's playoff matchup.