After some speculation that the Los Angeles Rams could put wide receiver Puka Nacua on injured reserve, head coach Sean McVay said on Wednesday that wouldn’t be the case. The Rams are set to keep Nacua on the active roster as he misses time with a knee injury. Additionally, McVay added some clarity on Davante Adams’ return and noted that the team expects him back following the game against the Green Bay Packers. 

The Rams deciding not to place Nacua on injured reserve is certainly an interesting choice. Had Nacua been placed on injured reserve, the soonest he could come back would be for Week 15 against the Dallas Cowboys. By not placing Nacua on IR, the Rams can hope to get him back for their Week 14 rematch against the San Francisco 49ers. 

While the Rams may be hopeful that Nacua is back in time for Week 14, that’s not likely the reason why he was kept off of injured reserve. During the regular season, teams are only allowed eight return designations off of IR. 

As it stands, the Rams have already used return designations on Terrance Ferguson, Myles Garrett, Ronnie Rivers and Keagen Trost. With Adams set to return, that brings their total to five. The Rams will also likely use a return designation on Kobie Turner when he’s healthy. That gives the Rams two spots for the remainder of the season. 

If Nacua is expected back on the shorter end of four weeks, it makes sense to just eat that roster spot instead of using a return designation when it might be needed later. It also looms large that the Rams used one of their return designations on Rivers last week. 

With the second half of the season still to come, the Rams will likely try to preserve an injured reserve spot if they need it. If the Rams make the playoffs, they will be given two more return designations. 

Heading into the week, there was some thought that Adams could be back after the bye week to go up against his former team. However, McVay said on Wednesday that the team expects him back after the Packers’ game. Adams was initially given a 6-10 week timeline, but was expected back on the shorter end of that. After the Packers game would have put Adams right at six weeks. 

Additionally, the Rams will be without Steve Avila for a handful of weeks, but are hoping to avoid injured reserve with him as well. 

The Rams have been hit hard by injuries this season, and that has forced them to be strategic with how they manage the roster. While keeping Nacua off injured reserve limits their flexibility in the short term, it could pay off later in the season. The Rams will have to survive the next few weeks without Nacua and Adams, but the hope remains that both will be back in time to help the team make a playoff push.