LOS ANGELES (AP) — Although the Los Angeles Rams are woefully short of healthy wide receivers, coach Sean McVay said they didn’t acquire any at the trade deadline, in part because they were optimistic that Davante Adams would return “sooner rather than later.”
Los Angeles Rams star WR Puka Nacua suffers knee, toe injury
With Puka Nacua and Jordan Whittington joining Adams on the sideline with significant injuries this week, the group of receivers on the Rams’ 53-man roster comes down to a recent seventh-round pick, two veterans who were cast aside and picked up by Los Angeles this year, and a rookie who has yet to catch a pass.
Whittington went on injured reserve this week due to his back injury, but the Rams are not placing Nacua on IR because they are short eight spots available for players who intend to return this season. The All-Pro who injured his knee on the final drive of last Sunday’s win at Washington will continue to hold a spot on the team until he can play, hopefully next month.
It’s not exactly the ideal scenario for McVay, Matthew Stafford and the Rams to go on a three-game winning streak.
But after looking at the trade market this week and finding it far too rich for their liking, the Rams (5-4) will try to stay afloat one way or another until their injured receivers can get back in uniform — not until December, though.
“We’ve had a lot of unique things in terms of managing the (roster) and the practice squad,” McVay said Wednesday. “That’s all I remember with the roster mechanics, just because it’s different from previous years, where you had a high volume (of injuries) at certain positions. We just had a lot of different things across the board at multiple spots.”
No position is currently in worse shape than wide receiver, but the Rams have decided not to make a deal for a replacement before Tuesday’s trade deadline.
“It takes two, and you have to be able to see what you’re willing to give (for) what’s out there,” McVay said.
The Rams’ decision was influenced by their optimism about Adams, who has been on injured reserve since he strained his hamstring in the penultimate loss to Arizona last month, missing all three wins in the current streak.
McVay says the Rams are optimistic Adams will only miss two more games before returning against Kansas City on Dec. 3, calling it a “realistic schedule for us.”
Nacua has dominated the Rams’ passing game this season, making 70 of their 120 catches to wide receivers. His 70 receptions are the most receptions in NFL history by a player through his first seven games of a season — and when Nacua was injured for two games in September, Adams stepped up with a series of big plays.
The Rams visit Arizona on Sunday before their mini-bye week is followed by a visit from the Green Bay Packers the day before Thanksgiving.
The Rams’ current situation is made even worse by the extended absence of tight end Terrance Ferguson, their top pass catcher at the position. He was close to returning from an ankle injury last week when he injured his hamstring during Friday’s practice, sidelining him indefinitely again.
The Rams’ remaining receivers are Konata Mumpfield, a modest contributor in his two seasons; Tutu Atwell, the undersized speedster who struggled for six seasons to get playing time under McVay; Xavier Smith, inconsistent deep receiver and kick returner the previous two seasons; and CJ Daniels, the sixth-round rookie who played six offensive snaps.
Atwell signed with Miami as a free agent last spring, but the Rams acquired him in August when no clear No. 3 receiver emerged from the preseason. The Rams then cut Smith in October after he made another mistake returning a punt, but they signed him from San Francisco’s practice squad on Tuesday.
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