Rams avoiding IR stint for Puka Nacua is less promising than it seems

The Los Angeles Rams will not, after all, place Puka Nacua on injured reserve with his knee and toe injuries sustained in Week 9's win over the Commanders. Head coach Sean McVay previously said there was a "strong chance" Nacua would land on IR. What changed?

Nothing, actually, at least as far as Nacua's injury status is concerned 

"We're not going to put him on IR, just because of some semantics with the roster and things like that, but he's still going to be out for an extended period of time. It wasn't like any sort of new information," McVay told reporters Wednesday. 

Instead of adding Nacua to IR, the Rams unexpectedly did so with receiver Jordan Whittington, who had been managing a back issue. That was on Tuesday. It means that Nacua will not have to miss the minimum four games required by a trip to injured reserve. LA's Week 11 bye will buy him some extra time to recover. 

So that's something. Perhaps the greater concern, though, is that the Rams are chewing through the eight players league rules allow them to designate for return from IR. Keeping Nacua on the active roster preserves one of those spots.

When will Rams get Puka Nacua back? 

Nacua might be back before missing four games, or he might not. McVay said the Rams hope to have Davante Adams back after Week 12 versus the Packers. If Nacua returns after four weeks, counting the bye, he would return one game after Adams, in Week 14.

Could he return before then? McVay initially put Nacua's timeline around "at least a month." That was partially in the context of the team's then-plans to place him on injured reserve, but he also said on Wednesday that nothing has changed.

It's possible. Just don't get your hopes up. 

Rams have little room left for further IR designations

The Rams have already designated four players to return from IR: rookie tackle Keagen Trost, running back Ronnie Rivers, Myles Garrett, and tight end Terrance Ferguson. Opening Ferguson's practice window backfired when he pulled his hamstring.

The Rams must either activate him by the end of a 21-day period dating back to the beginning of last week - the bye doesn't factor in here - or Ferguson will be gone for the rest of the year.

That's four of eight slots. Adams and defensive tackle Kobie Turner are expected back. That's six. Then there's Whittingon and offensive lineman Justin Dedich. There's eight.

Whether the Rams bring back Dedich could depend on how much time left guard Steve Avila will miss with his hamstring injury. He was a DNP in Wednesday's practice.

It could also depend on how well Beaux Limmer performs in Avila's absence. Limmer replaced Avila when the latter left the Commanders game and seems like the best bet to fill in until Avila returns to health. 

Whittington hasn't done much this season as a pass-catcher (two catches for 12 yards), but the Rams value his toughness as a blocker. They're already thin at receiver, so they might want to bring him back if possible.

None of that accounts for the dreaded prospect of future injuries. Obviously, the Rams don't have much, if any wiggle room. More than anything else, that's likely what drove the decision to keep Nacua on the active roster.

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