WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. — The Rams are preparing for Denver without knowing whether Puka Nacua will be available Sunday, with coach Sean McVay emphasizing Wednesday that the team wants its star receiver healthy enough to perform rather than simply play through his injury.
Nacua was among four players who would not have practiced had the Rams held a full workout Wednesday. With the team conducting a jog-through, McVay said the injury report was an estimation, leaving Nacua’s availability unresolved as the Rams turned their attention to the Broncos.
“I’m not sure,” McVay said when asked whether Nacua would play Sunday. Asked whether he expected him to practice this week, McVay was cautiously optimistic.
“I would say it’s more likely than not, but we’ll see,” McVay said. “These soft tissue things, I wish I had better information. It’d be helpful for me to have a little bit more clarity as well. I want him to feel good.”
McVay said the Rams’ medical staff does not believe the injury represents a long-term threat. He described Nacua’s discomfort as similar to symptoms that can precede a hernia, but explicitly said Nacua does not have a hernia. The concern is how the injury responds when the receiver accelerates and reaches high speeds.
“You err on the side of caution,” McVay said. “Usually, time is the best thing that allows that thing to heal.”
The same approach applies to receiver Jordan Whittington, who also would have been held out Wednesday. McVay described Whittington’s issue as more quad-related and remained hopeful he could play this week, while stressing that neither receiver would benefit from returning too soon.
“If they’re both able to go, we’ll be better off if they are but not at the expense of pushing them where they could have a setback,” McVay said, explaining that an aggravation could leave either player facing a stint on injured reserve.
The Rams already have lost running back Ronnie Rivers to injured reserve after a calf injury McVay estimated would require four to six weeks of recovery. McVay said Rivers apparently hurt himself jumping to loosen up during the game, calling it a “freak deal.”
With Rivers unavailable, McVay said the Rams will elevate either Dean Connors or Jordan Waters from the practice squad. The decision will largely depend on which player offers more value on special teams. The team also signed safety Maximus Pulley to bolster a secondary McVay said was short on depth.
Tight end Colby Parkinson and safety Kam Kinchens joined Nacua and Whittington as estimated nonparticipants Wednesday. Offensive lineman Alaric Jackson, tight end Terrance Ferguson and linebacker Nate Landman would have been limited. Jackson had his knee examined during the Giants game but did not miss a snap, and McVay said there was no reason to believe he would be unavailable Sunday.
For quarterback Matthew Stafford, the uncertainty at receiver does not change his confidence in the players who take the field. He praised the offense’s distribution of the ball against the Giants, crediting Davante Adams’ individual work while emphasizing the importance of involving multiple targets.
“We are at our best when everybody is touching the rock and we’re multiple,” Stafford said. “We were going to attack all parts of the field with everybody that we had. We were able to get that done.”
Stafford singled out Ferguson as a developing threat who can contribute as an inline blocker or line up outside and win against a defender. He also praised the offensive line’s protection and the flexibility provided by running backs Kyren Williams and Blake Corum, saying the Rams can call any play with either back in the game.
Those options will be important against a Denver defense that drew praise from McVay, Stafford and Adams. McVay described defensive coordinator Vance Joseph as an aggressive coach who creates problems through varied personnel groupings and schemes tailored to his players’ strengths.
Stafford pointed to the Broncos’ disruptive front seven and a secondary he considers among the most talented and versatile the Rams will face this season.
“He does a great job of putting those guys in position to succeed,” Stafford said of Joseph. “Then those guys go out there and play hard for them.”
Adams is familiar with cornerback Pat Surtain II from their matchups when Adams played for the Raiders. He recalled both a winning moment against Denver and a later meeting in which he felt Surtain got the better of him, praising the cornerback’s length and speed.
“I have a lot of respect for a lot of guys, but he’s definitely up there as far as one of the ones I have the most respect for,” Adams said.
Whether Nacua is available to help attack that secondary remains an open question. McVay said the receiver is eager to return, but the Rams intend to keep his recovery at the center of the decision.
“I just know that he’s frustrated and we all want him to be able to be out there,” McVay said, “but we want him to be able to return to performance not just be able to gut through it.”