Andrew Whitworth didn’t miss a single game for the Rams in 2019, and hasn’t been sidelined due to injury once since joining Los Angeles in 2017. That doesn’t mean he wasn’t playing through an ailment, however.
The 38-year-old left tackle shared three posts to his Instagram story on Tuesday: One on a hospital bed, one with his right leg up and a wrap on his ankle, and another saying he’ll be back as soon as they let him out.
The posts were captured by Rich Hammond of The Athletic.
It appears he underwent surgery on his right ankle, which he was never listed on the injury report for. It’s possible he injured it in the final game of the season, or that it was a minor issue that never hindered him during the season or forced him to miss practice.
Whitworth is one of the most durable players in football, never playing fewer than 10 games in a season in his career and playing at least 81% of his team’s offensive snaps each year since 2012.
Of course, he’s set to be a free agent in March, but he intends to play another season in 2020 – which would be his 15th in the NFL. He’d like to be back with the Rams, and Los Angeles doesn’t have a quality replacement for him right now, so another season together would make sense for both sides.
