Tears covered the eyes of Justin Lawler after the Los Angeles Rams‘ preseason debut.
Why? He revisited his personal journey, who he revealed was the most important person in his life during this turbulent period of his and finally, his emotions showed the “preseason doesn’t count” crowd that sometimes, August games mean so much more for certain players, especially the former seventh round linebacker coming off multiple foot surgeries and mental health check-ins in the past year.
“Brings me to tears, man. I mean, doing what I love to do after what I’ve gone through…it’s a big deal for me and my family,” was what Lawler told the L.A. media.
“I’ve been through a long road with the injuries. Sean and Les… gracious enough this offseason to bring me back. Couldn’t be more grateful.” – @lawlerjustin99 💙
Lawler’s Journey Back to the Rams
In his NFL debut, he showed promise out of Southern Methodist by playing in all 16 games his rookie season, recording six tackles including four solo stops.
But August 6, 2019 was the first of what would be three foot surgeries.
Rams LB Justin Lawler, a second-year pro, is having foot surgery today, per McVay.
Lawler was originally projected to backup former Ram Clay Matthews when the 2019 depth chart was released. But the foot surgery prevented him from playing a single snap.
Then on September 5, 2020, Lawler became one of nine Rams waived by the team. Lawler, however, was never claimed off of the transaction wire and reverted back to the Rams’ injured reserve list.
However, general manager Les Snead and head coach Sean McVay refused to give up on Lawler. And the edge rusher never gave up from coming back from his triple foot surgeries.
That’s why more than 68,000 fans who attended the battle of L.A. saw a more relentless, plus emotional, Lawler.
With their backs to the end zone and facing second down, Lawler penetrated through the trenches and forced this incompletion.
.@lawlerjustin99 showing up BIG early 💪
And the excitement spilled on Twitter among Ram fans.
JUSTIN LAWLER!!
@RamsNFL Lawler all over the place.
@RamsNFL mans playing great
Even the Twitter account of Lawler’s college alma mater gave a retweet of his emotionally charged press conference.
‘Couldn’t Be More Grateful’
Lawler, who got the start in the Saturday evening showdown, ended his night with the following stat line: Five tackles, one tackle for a loss, one QB hurry and two QB hits. Lawler looked every bit like the high-energy edge rusher who thrived at SMU.
McVay himself left SoFi in awe of what he saw out of the defender he and Snead never gave up on through the foot obstacles.
“You could feel him. It was one of those deals where he was making his presence felt,” McVay said to reporters. “I thought there were a couple of holding calls he could have drawn as well, early on in the game. But it was great to have Justin Lawler out there for us. He’s had some unfortunate injuries over the last couple of years. You definitely felt his presence. I thought he did a nice job.”
But again, the emotions spilled onto the floor where the postgame conference was held as Lawler went down a reflection path.
“After I got hurt the second time, Les pulled me in and it was more from a mental health standpoint. Thankfully, I’ve always been stable mentally. God has led me through a lot. I’ve always had faith in him,” Lawler said. “And my wife is an unbelievable support for me.”
That’s when Lawler lifted his right hand to wipe the tears from his face, as he brought up his wife Denver.
“She does a lot,” Lawler said. “She takes care of the kids while I do what I do and train.”
The team support then rolled in for Lawler after the posting of his emotional conference with Johnny Hekker chiming in.
And fellow SMU Mustang Xavier Jones offered his support through less than 280 characters on Twitter.
Time will tell if Lawler eventually starts in the Rams defense once the season opener comes. But now, the team has a grateful defender who took advantage of his opportunity to recapture his old form.
“I’ve been through a long road with the injuries, my foot breaking three times,” Lawler said. “Sean and Les, gracious enough this offseason to bring me back. Couldn’t be more grateful.”
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‘Brings Me to Tears:’ Rams’ Justin Lawler Details Emotional Road Back