Jamil Demby spends five hours a day working out, Monday through Friday, primarily rehabilitating a knee injury that required surgery on Aug. 6.
The former University of Maine All-American offensive tackle said his rehabilitation and ensuing workouts have been productive thanks to a piece of jewelry.
Namely, a Super Bowl ring.
“That has given extra motivation,” said Demby who was on the Los Angeles Rams roster but couldn’t play this season due to what he termed a “freakish” injury he sustained doing a one-on-one drill during training camp.
He was placed on injured reserve and, since he was still part of the team, he earned a Super Bowl ring.
He was in the fourth and final year of his contract after being drafted in the sixth round (192nd overall) by the Rams in 2018.
The 25-year-old Demby is now a free agent.
The 6-foot-5, 321-pound Vineland, New Jersey, native played in six games for the Rams during the 2019-20 season and started one.
He has spent most of his time on the Rams’ practice squad.
Demby was waived by the Rams on Sept. 8, 2018, and signed by the Detroit Lions three days later. He was on Detroit’s practice squad until the Rams signed him on Dec. 12, 2018.
Being part of a Super Bowl-winning team but not being able to play was “bittersweet,” according to Demby.
“I definitely wanted to feel I contributed to it. Going through something like this sucks. But being able to be at the melon top of football is a special feeling,” he said.
“Even though something bad happened to me, it was amazing to see how everything unfolded,” said Demby, who was part of the Super Bowl-winning parade in Los Angeles and has several friends on the team.
“This is a pretty special group of guys. It was amazing to see older guys like [40-year-old offensive tackle] Andrew Whitworth and [30-year-old defensive tackle] Aaron Donald establish their legacies,” said Demby, who was also happy for quarterback Matthew Stafford, who was traded to the Rams by Detroit in the off-season.
“I was with him for two months in Detroit. He was the focal point of the organization. For him to go through all he went through [in Detroit] and come here and win a Super Bowl is amazing,” Demby said.
Demby said his knee feels “pretty good” and that he is close to 100 percent.
The Rams have shown some interest in signing him but he said there has also been some interest from other teams whose offensive line coaches he has played for in the past.
“It’s a waiting game. I haven’t played in a year and the NFL is a business so they aren’t going to throw me an opportunity right away. I’ve got to earn it,” he said. “I’ve got to be patient.”
He said he has developed the mental aspect of his game and has learned a lot of things about how to promote knee health and how to “change my body so I can get stronger in different areas and become more mobile.”
In doing some self-evaluation, he said it is of the utmost importance to “play with confidence.”
“If something goes wrong, you can’t get down on yourself. You have to stay composed,” he said.