WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. – Although head coach Sean McVay said that the Rams would not end up placing wide receiver Puka Nacua (knee/toe) on Injured Reserve, those plans changed with the team doing so Thursday.
McVay had said Wednesday that Nacua would be kept on the active roster due to roster mechanics, but was still expected to miss "an extended period of time." On Thursday, Nacua was placed on IR, with wide receiver Brennan Presley signing to the active roster from the practice squad and wide receiver Tyler Scott signing to the practice squad.
Speaking to reporters Friday morning, McVay said the decision to change course on Nacua was because the Rams "needed the roster spot." Nacua's return timeline remains unchanged, according to McVay.
If Nacua had not been placed on IR to open up a roster spot for Presley, the Rams would have had only four wide receivers on their 53-man roster: Tutu Atwell, CJ Daniels Jr., Konata Mumpfield and Xavier Smith, who the team brought back off the 49ers' practice squad on Tuesday. Jordan Whittington (back) was placed on IR on Tuesday, and Davante Adams has been on IR.
Presley could have been a standard elevation for each of the Rams' next two games, but any elevations after that would have required the team to sign him to the active roster anyway.
"We didn't need (the roster spot) initially," McVay said of placing Nacua on IR. "Semantics, mechanics of it, there was never going to be a time that he was going to return prior to anyways what I had suggested to you guys. So it really was not putting him on because of roster mechanics, (then) some things changed where we needed that spot because of all the moving pieces."
By being placed on IR, Nacua will miss at least the Rams' next four games: Sunday against the Cardinals in Arizona, Week 12 against the Packers at home, Week 13 against the Chiefs at home and Week 14 at the 49ers. Thus, Week 15 against the Cowboys is the earliest Nacua would be eligible to return from IR.
