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Reports: Broken Ankle Ends Terrell Burgess Rookie Season

According to Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay, former Utah safety Terrell Burgess has had his promising rookie campaign come to an end after he suffered a broken ankle Monday night

It was the best game of his young career. 

Former Utah safety and current Los Angels Rams rookie Terrell Burgess was all over the field in Monday night's matchup with the Chicago Bears. In just 11 defensive snaps, Burgess had recorded five tackles, four of which came of the solo variety.

But on his 12th defensive snap of the game, everything changed.

During the fourth quarter, Burgess came up from his safety spot to make a tackle on Bears running back David Montgomery. Sadly, Burgess's leg got caught underneath him and bent awkwardly, leading to the injury. 

As he lay on the field, Rams medical personnel sprinted out to see him and assess the damage, They immediately put his leg into an air cast and Burgess was then loaded onto a cart and taken off the field.

Oct 26, 2020; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey (20) talks to Los Angeles Rams safety Terrell Burgess (26) before he is driven off the field after injuring his leg in the fourth quarter against the Chicago Bears at SoFi Stadium.

Oct 26, 2020; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey (20) talks to Los Angeles Rams safety Terrell Burgess (26) before he is driven off the field after injuring his leg in the fourth quarter against the Chicago Bears at SoFi Stadium.

Twenty fours after the injury, Rams head coach Sean McVay provided media with an update on Burgess — and it wasn't a good one. Burgess will undergo surgery on Wednesday to repair the broken ankle and is scheduled to miss the rest of the regular season. He is however expected to be ready in time for training camp next season.

The Rams went on to defeat the Bears 24-10, improving to 5-2 on the season. The Bears, which start Burgess's former Utah running mate Jaylon Johnson, are also 5-2 on the season.

When the Rams selected Burgess in the third round of the NFL draft this past April, it came with the idea that he was a versatile playmaker who could find success if given the opportunity.

Unfortunately for Burgess, the Rams were already returning their entire starting secondary from the year before, including talented safeties Taylor Rapp and John Johnson III, as well as former all-pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey. This made it extremely difficult for Burgess to get onto the field for any significant playing time.

But over the past few weeks, Burgess has really emerged with extended playing time. Over the past four weeks, Burgess has recorded nine or more defensive snaps in at least three of the games.

Burgess's college career can best be summed up in one work; resilient. 

For three years, Burgess saw very limited action on the football field for the the Utes. Apart from playing time for the special teams unit, Burgess' experience seeing the field as a safety came with just three starts in those three seasons.

But then it was his senior season and he found himself with one chance to prove his worth and future in the sport. He earned the starting role at strong safety, playing alongside free safety Julian Blackmon and Johnson, two bonafide NFL players.

He finished the season with 81 tackles — 7.5 for loss — one interception and five pass breakups en route to earning all-Pac-12 honorable mention recognition as a senior. Those numbers, combined with the position he played (albeit for a year), proves how versatile Burgess is, a massive commodity in today's league.

Burgess parlayed that senior season into the NFL, being taken 104th overall in the third round by Los Angeles.

Now he's dealing with the first major injury of his career and it will be up to him and his mental state to get through. But if a guy can bide his time for three years on a college football team and then parlay that last season into an NFL draft pick, Burgess will have no problem getting through the rehab and back on the field.

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