With Puka Nacua now week-to-week, who should step up on Rams roster?

The LA Rams learned that DB Derion Kendrick injured his ACL, and will be lost for the entirety of the 2024 NFL season. The team entered the 2024 NFL season knowing that an ACL injury to starting TE Tyler Higbee would delay his return to the active roster until after the regular season games has started. And the team did take a proactively precautionary step by holding out rookie DT Braden Fiske from the joint practice scheduled with the Los Angeles Chargers due to a large blister that had developed on his foot.

But for all other five starters who are currently trying to nurse themselves back to health, including second-year wide receiver Puka Nacua, the team seems to gravitate towards tossing everyone into a miscellaneous category also known as 'week-to-week.'

Nacua's name was added to the elite group of Rams starters due to a knee injury suffered early in the joint practice session.

Of course, week-to-week seems to be a catch-all category for injured Rams starters at this time of year. So, who are they?

Who is part of the LA Rams 'week-to-week,' injured group?

• Alaric Jackson, starting left tackle - Alaric Jackson's injury was initially described as having tweaked his ankle, and categorized to day-to-day. He was subsequently downgraded to week-to-week. His replacement is swing tackle Joe Noteboom.
• Jonah Jackson, starting left guard - Jonah Jackson's injury appeared to take place after pads went on. Later reported to be a bruised scapula, Jackson's injury is considered to be the most serious of the group. His replacement is offensive lineman Zach Thomas.
• Darious Williams, starting cornerback - Darious Williams injury was a fluke play. After making a solid defensive play to break up a pass along the sidelines, he came up limping. Reports later shared that he had suffered a hamstring injury. His replacement is cornerback Cobie Turner.
• Rob Havenstein, starting right tackle - Rob Havenstein is the leader of the offensive line, and his absence has made everything a bit 'wonky' in training camp. He suffered a foot/ankle injury and is also week-to-week. But his replacement is offensive tackle Warren McClendon.
• Puka Nacua, starting wide receiver - From some social media reports shared from the Rams-Chargers joint practice. He did seem to hurt his knee, which was visibly iced on the sideline during a joint scrimmage. No replacement is named at this point

So what are the Rams to do about replacing second year sensation WR Puka Nacua?

Rams understudies have reason to take center stage

We know that as of right now, the LA Rams have several veterans who can take up the slack in the short-term. The Rams boast a quite healthy veteran WR Cooper Kupp, the surprisingly effective 2023 WR Demarcus Robinson, and the ever speedy and ready to go WR Tutu Atwell. But does this offense need more firepower without Nacua.

That means that the team should be prepared to give more playing time to a player already on this roster.

It's still time ti prepare some players through the upcoming preseason games. Perhaps dangling a carrot of larger role to several players as incentive, and the best performance in preseason Game 1 against the Dallas Cowboys claims the prize. That could add extra incentive and competition as the team ramps up for the 2024 NFL season.

But let's be very clear. As of right now, the only projected players to miss any part of the regular season are TE Tyler Higbee and DB Derion Kendrick.

It's wise to expand the circle to include one more wide receiver. The team needs to get as many targets online for veteran QB Matthew Stafford as quickly as possible. Not only does that discourage a season that runs Stafford exclusively to Kupp, but it also builds the rapport between Stafford and one more wide receiver who may be called to duty at some future point in the season as well. While you may not immediately think of him, there are several reasons for the team to turn to WR Xavier Smith as a solution.

(3) - Xavier Smith

While you may not initially equate the absence of 6-foot-2 212-pound wide receiver Puka Nacua as a golden opportunity for 5-foot-9, 173-pound wide receiver, there are solid reasons to give him his shot. In terms of standing out as an epicenter of positive playmaking in training camp, WR Xaver Smith is among the leaders in the wide receiver room in that department.

He has been getting as many positive reports out of the Rams training camp as anyone, and has been catching practically everything that has been thrown his way. The key to getting more from him is to give him more opportunities. Ergo, he should be in the conversation for a larger role. And he is ready.

But another unique characterstic that expading his role in this offense is the range of offensive plays that open up. With Xavier Smith on the football field with Tutu Atwell, the Rams can begin sending both receivers deep to clear out the secondary, and then target either WR Cooper Kupp or Demarcus Robinson on short to intermediate routes. And can any defense truly justify an eight-man box to stop the run with Xavier Smith and his jets on the football field?

WR Tutu Atwell is on the last year of his rookie contract. Giving Xavier Smith a larger role in this offense now not only solve the gap of receivers on the football field for now, but could play a vital part in determining a successor to Atwell if he is not back with the team in 2025.

(2) - Tyler Johnson

Of course, if you want to restore the offense to some semblance of pre-Puka Nacua injury capability, then the obvious choice on the roster is to promote veteran WR Tyler Johnson. Standing 6-foot-1 and weighing 208 pounds, Johnson is ideally sized for this offense if you compare him to other wide receivers who have flourished.

Entering his fifth NFL season, and second year with the Rams, Johnson is a former Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver who played two seasons with the Bucs, one season with the Houston Texans, and one season so far with the Rams. Despite a rather lackluster NFL career so far, Johnson has remained relevant enough to stick on NFL active rosters. And he was praised by Rams HC Sean McVay for his work this season:

Described as 'big' and 'physical,' by Coach McVay, those are exactly the type of attributes that the team is seeking to reestablish on the offense in Nacua's absence.

I am especially pleased with this selection because he is a veteran, so he understands what this opportunity means to him and his NFL career. But perhaps a better reason for tapping Johnson is his noticeable absence of other roles in this offense. When Xavier Smith enters the conversation, you have to wonder if that mitigates his work to take over for Tutu Atwell. And if the team taps a younger player, are they hampering the development of that player in a uniquely designed role to suit his specific skillsets?

Tyler Johnson has been a bright spot for the Rams training camp so far. But there is a rookie on board who has already been noted as getting work with the 1s. And he is . . .

(1) - Jordan Whittington

When the LA Rams drafted former Texas rookie wide receiver Jordan Whittington in Round 6 of the 2024 NFL Draft, many fans and draft analysts had expected the ever-happy-to-welcome-wide-receivers front office to take advantage of a deep and talented receiver rookie class. But the team had just selected BYU rookie WR Puka Nacua, who was an All-Time NFL rookie record-setting receiver. And veteran WR Cooper Kupp was projected as 100 percent healthy for the first time since 2021.

So a play-maker who wanted to catch passes exclusively was simply not a priority. But even the absence of need for a pass catching rookie was off the shopping list, the versatile Jordan Whittington brings so much more to the NFL, that the team could not resist selecting him.

And in Round 6, the price was most certainly right.

Could Jordan Whittington be the next rookie sensation, similar to Puka Nacua's sensational 2023 NFL season? The similarities are beginning to stack up. Much like Nacua, only the Rams seemed to value what Whittington did with his opportunities with so many roles in college football. And, much like Nacua, Whittington has shown remarkable command of running routes, blocking, and crisp timing that allows Stafford to trust that he will be where he needs to be when the ball arrives.

And now, thanks to Nacua, he could crack the starters with an unexpected and untimely injury to a starting WR as preseason arrives.

Whittington stands 6-foot-1, weighs 202 pounds, and is a very physical and tough wide receiver. He has most certainly impressed the coaching staff and his teammates in training camp. And his trajectory so far has already been trending with his getting a chance to play with the starters sooner rather than later.

We had touted the depth of the Rams roster frequently. And now is when that depth pays off. The team has three worthy options to fill in at wide receiver right now. The question now is, who will it be?

Thanks for reading.