Rams will have to hope fringe moves and roster reunions sustain them for now

If you were told that the Los Angeles Rams would reunite with a player from its 2021 Super Bowl season, you might have imagined the return of edge rusher Von Miller or a reunion with wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.

Ironically, the 2026 homecoming features cornerback David Long Jr., a seven- year veteran who has spent more than half his career in Los Angeles - including the Super Bowl season. The Rams have also reunited with long snapper Jake McQuaide and kicker Joshua Karty.

More recently, the team re-signed Xavier Smith (after cutting him earlier this season), promoted receiver Brennan Presley from the practice squad, and signed Tyler Scott, a familiar preseason face, in Presley's place.

The flurry of roster moves may look like frantic scrambling on the part of general manager Les Snead. The reality is that LA's increasing number of injuries has forced a near-continuous stream of transactions.

McQuaide has taken over for the injured Joe Cordona. Karty came aboard to help in the kicking game, along with Brandon McManus, after Blake Grupe's season-ending injury. Long replenishes the ranks at cornerback with Jaylen Watson also lost for the year. And Smith and Scott are back to cover vacancies from injuries to Jordan Whittington, Davante Adams, and Puka Nacua.

Rams hope shuffled parts will tide offense until Adams and Nacua return

With so many roster moves, some fans may question why Snead did not make a trade or two before the deadline. Well, trades require two willing teams who each receive enough compensation to emerge feeling like winners. Like it or not, the Rams simply didn't have enough tradeable assets to conduct commerce.

Their dire situation at receiver is temporary. NFL insider Ian Rapoport offered positive updates on Adams and Nacua, projecting their returns on the short end of their respective rehab timelines. If LA welcomes back Adams before or after Week 12 against Green Bay Packers, they will be very competitive.

And if Nacua returns as hoped in time to face the Cowboys in Week 15, the offense will be nearly full strength in time to play the Seattle Seahawks twice after that.

No trade-deadline addition would carry this offense single-handedly. All the while, LA has been keeping two rookies on the bench. Neither wide receiver CJ Daniels nor tight end Max Klare has been asked to step up yet. If neither is part of the offense in Week 10, they are unlikely to be used the rest of the way.

The Rams must reformulate their strategy until Adams and Nacua come back online. But in 2025, the Horns discovered new avenues of scoring and offensive prowess when forced to. Perhaps they can gain new insights in 2026 as well.

The band will be back together at some point. Let's hope it's enough to carry the Rams to the postseason.

As always, thanks for reading.

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