Los Angeles Rams reverse course and place star WR Puka Nacua on injured reserve with MCL, PCL and turf-toe injuries
One day after head coach Sean McVay said roster semantics would keep Puka Nacua off injured reserve, the Los Angeles Rams placed their star wide receiver on IR on November 12 with right knee MCL and PCL sprains plus turf toe, sidelining him at least four games until December 20.
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Rams reversed course Thursday evening and placed star wide receiver Puka Nacua on injured reserve with right knee MCL and PCL sprains plus turf toe, sidelining their top playmaker for at least four games.
Under NFL injured-reserve rules, Nacua will miss upcoming matchups against the Arizona Cardinals, Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs, and San Francisco 49ers. His earliest eligible return date is Week 15 on Sunday, Dec. 20, when Los Angeles hosts the Dallas Cowboys at SoFi Stadium.
Why Sean McVay reversed Wednesday’s active-roster plan
Nacua suffered the knee and toe injuries on a jet sweep during the final offensive snap of Sunday’s 20-13 road victory in Washington, finishing that afternoon with a season-high 14 receptions for 150 yards. Despite missing two earlier contests with a hip issue, he ranks seventh in the NFL with 715 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 70 catches across seven games.
Head coach Sean McVay initially told reporters Wednesday that Los Angeles intended to keep Nacua on the active 53-man roster because each NFL club is capped at eight injured-reserve return designations per season. With the Rams having already used return slots on pass rusher Myles Garrett, tackle Keagen Trost, and running back Ronnie Rivers—and needing another for hamstring-sidelined receiver Davante Adams—activating Nacua in December will consume a seventh slot, leaving almost no margin for late-season injuries.
Rams receiver depth tested entering NFC West stretch
Immediate 53-man depth needs ahead of Sunday’s divisional matchup against Arizona ultimately forced McVay and general manager Les Snead to pull the trigger on Thursday’s roster move, echoing roster crunch storylines across Week 10 NFL injury reports.
With both Nacua and Adams sidelined simultaneously, quarterback Matthew Stafford will lean heavily on rookie wideout Konata Mumpfield, veteran speedster Tutu Atwell, CJ Daniels, and Xavier Smith over the next month of NFC playoff positioning.