Cameron DaSilva, Rams WireTue, December 2, 2025 at 1:16 PM UTC·1 min readQuentin Lake suffered an elbow injury in Week 11 against the Seattle Seahawks that cost the Los Angeles Rams their defensive leader for an extended period of time. He was placed on injured reserve, forcing him to miss at least four games, but it was initially reported that he could return before the regular season ends.
That doesn’t sound very likely anymore.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementSean McVay gave an updated timeline on Lake’s potential return during the “Coach McVay Show” on Monday and he doesn’t know if it’s “realistic” for him to be back before the playoffs.
“It went well for him. All things were really encouraging,” McVay said of the surgery. “He’s been around, he’s been in good spirits. The hope is, if you earn the right to play afterwards, then he’ll get a chance to be able to join us then. I don’t know if the regular season is realistic for him, but if we are able to earn the right to be able to play games after the 17 we’re guaranteed, I think there’s a chance he’ll be back for those.”
It's a big blow for the Rams to lose their captain in the secondary and every-snap defender who lines up everywhere on the field. They have the cornerback depth to overcome it, but Lake provides immense value when he’s available.
In the meantime, the Rams will have to keep using Cobie Durant in the slot more, along with Josh Wallace and even some of their safeties. But no one can replace the impact Lake has in terms of his leadership and tackling in run defense. That was certainly felt on Sunday when the Panthers rushed for 164 yards on 40 carries.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Quentin Lake injury: Here's when Rams DB could return for LA
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