WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. – Although Rams cornerback Trent McDuffie (back) will be listed as a non-participant on Wednesday's estimated injury report, head coach Sean McVay said they are "optimistic" he will be able to return from injury this Sunday against the Cardinals (1:05 p.m. PT, CBS).

McDuffie missed Los Angeles' game against the Washington Commanders last Sunday with a back injury sustained in Week 8 against the Chargers. McVay said that with the injury McDuffie sustained, "you want to make sure that you're putting him in a position to have a successful outcome" and be able to deal with some of the functional movements and unpredictability that come with playing his position, especially with how physical McDuffie plays and him playing outside and inside in the secondary.

"You want to make sure that you're putting him in a position to be able to do all the things that we ask, and that he's feeling good," McVay said. "And hopefully, this is the week."

McVay also said Wednesday that the team will not end up putting wide receiver Puka Nacua (knee/toe) on Injured Reserve due to roster semantics, and not because of any new information about his injury situation. McVay said Nacua is "still going to be out for an extended period of time."

While that – along with Jordan Whittington (back) being placed on IR – leaves the Rams thin at wide receiver, McVay said they are optimistic that wide receiver Davante Adams' return from his hamstring injury is "sooner than later, which is a big deal to us" and that after their Week 12 game against the Packers "is a realistic timeline for him." With Whittington, Adams and Nacua injured, the Rams signed wide receiver Xavier Smith off the 49ers' practice squad on Tuesday.

Reiterating what he said postgame Sunday, McVay said "it probably is a couple weeks, at least" for tight end Terrance Ferguson after Ferguson pulled his hamstring in last Friday's practice while in his 21-day practice window. That clock would expire the week the Rams play the Packers, but even if Ferguson is able to return before then or play against the Packers, the goal is to hopefully save a spot on the active roster for him, according to McVay.