Rams Make Pair Of Wide Receiver Moves Amid Puka Nacua Injury After Quiet Trade Deadline

After the Rams shied away from making a move during the NFL trade deadline, the team’s wide receiver corps has taken another blow, as Jordan Whittington has been placed on the team’s injured reserve with a back injury.

In a corresponding move, Los Angeles has re-signed Xavier Smith to fill in for his absence.

On Tuesday morning, Sean McVay said on “The Coach McVay Show” that Whittington was a candidate to be placed on the team’s injured reserve for a lingering back issue.

Whittington has spent most of the season injured after suffering a quadriceps injury in their Week 2 game against the New York Giants.

He’s suited up for the team’s last seven games — and has played eight offensive snaps, but came into each game being listed as questionable due to a lingering back injury.

According to California Post senior sports reporter Michael Duarte, the team’s decision to put Whittington on the injured reserve has put the team in a “conundrum,” as the league only allows eight players to return from the IR during a season, and the Rams have already used three of them.

Los Angeles is also expected to have defensive tackle Kobie Turner, tight end Terrance Ferguson, and wide receiver Davante Adams return from the injured list at some point this season.

That makes six.

On Monday, McVay told reporters that the team is expected to place Puka Nacua on the injured reserve and he is expected to miss “at least a month” due to an MCL, PCL sprain in his right knee, which followed a turf toe injury he suffered in Sunday’s win against the Commanders.

Aside from Nacua, Steve Avila is expected to join the IR, along with Justin Dedic and Dean Connors, which would mean the Rams will likely not be able to bring back two of these players.