The injury bug bit the Los Angeles Rams hard during training camp as several players have been sidelined with various ailments.
The offensive took the biggest hit as Jonah Jackson, Alaric Jackson and Rob Havenstein are all considered week-to-week, while the secondary is right behind them as Derion Kendrick is out for the year and Darius Williams is also week-to-week.
The bad luck continued when it was announced that Puka Nacua suffered a knee injury in practice after making a catch in the end zone. Nacua is also considered week-to-week, though Rams head coach Sean McVay said he should be ready to go for Week 1 against the Detroit Lions.
“Yeah, he got his knee banged up,” McVay said. “You saw he made a touchdown catch in the tight red area, which I would’ve challenged and called a touchdown because one knee equals two feet. When he was moving around a little bit more, he had a later route that he was running [and] he kind of felt it a little bit. [He] really just had a little bit of a sack bursted. It’s just going to be week-to-week with him. Nothing serious [or] nothing structurally. He’ll be in good shape. He’ll recover and we’ll be ready to go. No threat of anything for Detroit.”
McVay confirmed that Nacua won’t play in the preseason, though he reiterated that the Rams receiver should still be able to prepare for the opener.
“He will not. Yeah, we’ll take it week-to-week, but I don’t anticipate him being affected in terms of even that prep for the opener. Now, would you like him to be out here, of course. These are all important deals, but in the meantime, it’s going to allow some other guys to get some chances and fortunately it’s not going to affect his ability to be ready to roll for the season.”
Los Angeles avoided disaster with Nacua and are fortunate that he’ll be able to suit up for the regular season. The Rams have dealt with plenty of rotten injury luck in the past, so hopefully this is the last one they have to worry about for a bit.
Rams sign Connor McDermott, Matt Kaskey and Alec Lindstrom
With Los Angeles’ offensive line missing pieces during the preseason preparation period, the Rams announced they signed Connor McDermott, Matt Kaskey and Alec Lindstrom. McDermott is a swing tackle, while Kaskey and Lindstrom can kick inside at guard or center.