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Los Angeles Rams News & Rumors

Rams WR Puka Nacua Out For Week 7

October 17th, 2025 at 10:28am CST by Adam La Rose

OCTOBER 17: Nacua has been ruled out for Week 7, to little surprise. With the Rams’ bye upcoming after their London game, the team will have additional time to evaluate his recovery timeframe.

OCTOBER 13: The Rams improved to 4-2 on the year with their win yesterday. Los Angeles lost wideout Puka Nacua along the way, however, and he may be sidelined for a stretch.

Nacua exited the game against the Ravens before briefly returning in the second half. Overall, the league’s receptions leader logged just 27 snaps, by far his lowest total of the campaign. Nacua is dealing with an ankle sprain, Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network report. As a result, at least one missed game could be in store.

The Rams will play the Jaguars in London next week. Los Angeles’ bye will follow that contest, so the team could elect to keep Nacua out of the fold for one contest and then evaluate him upon return from the international game. Of course, any missed time in this case would be critical for the Rams’ offense and their ability to keep pace in a highly competitive division.

Even with his limited output on Sunday, Nacua has amassed 616 yards and a pair of touchdowns through six games this season. The third-year pass-catcher is thus averaging nearly 103 receiving yards per contest, another increase in that department early in his impressive career. Nacua averaged 87 yards per game as a rookie before upping that total to 90 last year.

Maintaining his current production would help the 24-year-old’s case for a massive extension as early as this coming offseason. Nacua is playing out the third season of his four-year rookie pact, but an early (and lucrative) commitment on the part of the Rams would come as no surprise. On the other hand, the former fifth-rounder was limited to 11 games last season so an extended absence in 2025 could hinder his earning potential.

A lengthy spell on the sidelines should not be expected given today’s report, but ankle sprains can linger into multi-week absences. For now, the Rams will move forward with a receiving corps still featuring Davante Adams and Tutu Atwell. Los Angeles also has Tyler Higbee and Colby Parkinson available at the tight end spot.

Further updates on Nacua will be worth watching for as the Rams prepare to fly to London. At least one missed game would be in store if a cautious approach were to be taken, but clarity on Nacua’s recovery timeline will be key.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/11/25

October 11th, 2025 at 8:31pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are the minor moves and standard gameday practice squad elevations heading into the sixth Sunday of the NFL season:

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Manu was ruled out for this week with a knee injury after making the first start of his career with Detroit. Unfortunately, he’ll miss the team’s next three games, as well, after being placed on injured reserve.

Wright will fill in as placekicker for the Titans in Week 6. Regular kicker Joey Slye has been ruled out with a calf injury after missing practice all week.

Avery in Cleveland and Walton in Carolina are both being called up as standard gameday practice squad elevations for the third time this year. If either of their respective teams want them to be active for another game, they will need to sign them to the 53-man roster.

Traded Draft Picks For 2026

October 8th, 2025 at 8:05pm CST by Sam Robinson

Many months remain before teams know where they are picking in the 2026 draft, but many clubs have made moves to acquire 2026 draft capital. Headlined by the Browns, Rams and Cowboys’ efforts, here are the 2026 picks to have changed hands thus far. When more deals involving picks are made (or conditions on moves already completed become known), that information will be added.

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

Round 5

Round 6

Round 7

49ers, Rams, Seahawks, Bills, Patriots, Jaguars, Eagles Seen As Possible Buyers At Trade Deadline

October 5th, 2025 at 11:22am CST by Rory Parks

We are a month away from the November 4 trade deadline, and the league’s contingent of buyers and sellers is starting to take shape. Eric D. Williams of Fox Sports identifies a handful of teams that league sources believe could be active buyers.

That includes a trio of NFC West clubs: the 49ers, Rams, and Seahawks. All three of those teams currently sport winning records, and even the division’s fourth-place outfit, the Cardinals, are 2-2 (their two losses have come by a combined four points). It therefore stands to reason that the combatants in what could be a tightly-contested division will be seeking any possible advantage at the deadline.

Moving over to the AFC East, Williams’ sources name the Bills and Patriots as potential buyers. The Bills, who have become a perennial contender in the Josh Allen era, are just one of two undefeated teams left after the first four weeks of the campaign, and Buffalo may be on the lookout for upgrades as it tries to break through to the Super Bowl after a number of recent postseason heartbreaks.

New England, at 2-2, was not necessarily expected to contend this year. New head coach Mike Vrabel and second-year quarterback Drake Maye presented reasons for optimism in Foxborough, but the general consensus was that the club — which underwent more than 50% roster turnover from 2024-25 and which entered the regular season as the league’s fifth-youngest team (h/t ESPN’s Mike Reiss) — was still at least a year away from true competitiveness.

And that still may be the case. After all, much can change between now and the first week of November, and even tonight’s matchup with the division-rival Bills could go a long way towards solidifying the Pats’ status as legitimate contender or otherwise.

After a last-second loss to the Bengals in Week 2, the Jaguars bounced back with victories over the Texans and Niners to improve their record to 3-1. As Williams notes, the rookie GM/HC duo of James Gladstone and Liam Coen both cut their NFL teeth with the Rams, whose Les Snead/Sean McVay operation has developed a reputation for making bold strikes.

Ditto Eagles GM Howie Roseman, and Philadelphia – the league’s other undefeated club – is unsurprisingly named by Williams’ sources as another team that could look to acquire talent in advance of the deadline. Per OverTheCap.com, the Eagles also have just shy of $12MM in cap space, so they should have the flexibility to make a move or two.

The Patriots, 49ers, and Seahawks are all in the top-five in terms of cap room as of the time of this writing, and the Rams are just outside the top-10. The Bills, with just $2.57MM of space, could have a harder time making a splash acquisition.

Rams DC Chris Shula “Prime Candidate” For HC Job In 2026

September 21st, 2025 at 11:32am CST by Rory Parks

Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter and Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley were recently named as legitimate head coaching candidates in the 2026 cycle. Rams DC Chris Shula is another defensive-minded coach who appears to have a real shot at leading his own club next year.

Per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Shula has the attention of NFL front offices and is considered a “prime candidate” for an HC gig. The grandson of NFL coaching legend Don Shula has earned that status by working his way up the coaching ladder under Sean McVay.

Now 39, Chris Shula landed his first NFL position with the Chargers in 2015, when he served as a defensive quality control coach for the club. He joined McVay’s first Rams staff in 2017 as an assistant linebackers coach, and he remained a prominent voice in the LB room until 2022, when he was named pass game coordinator and defensive backs coach. He resumed working with LBs in 2023 and also worked as the team’s pass rush coordinator before getting his first crack at DC last season.

McVay needed to fill that post after Raheem Morris left to become the Falcons’ head coach, and candidates like Brandon Staley – who previously worked as McVay’s defensive coordinator in 2020 – and Ron Rivera were considered. But the Rams were reportedly blown away by Shula’s interview, and the team did not allow him to meet with the Dolphins to discuss Miami’s DC opening.

In Shula’s first year in charge of the Rams’ defense, the team finished in the middle of the pack in terms of points per game and in the bottom-10 with respect to yards per game. Still, Shula’s unit allowed nine points or fewer from Weeks 15 to 17, and Los Angeles also limited the Vikings to nine points in the wildcard round of the playoffs.

Through the first two weeks of the current season, the Rams have conceded just one touchdown and 14 points per game. Of course, those games came against the Texans and Titans, two clubs that look as if they could struggle to score in 2025. But sustained success this year will apparently make Shula a hot commodity in January.

NFL Minor Transactions: 9/16/25

September 16th, 2025 at 7:10pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Carolina Panthers

  • Signed: LB Maema Njongmeta (off Bengals practice squad), C Nick Samac (off Ravens practice squad)

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Los Angeles Rams

New York Giants

Rams Place CB Ahkello Witherspoon On IR

September 15th, 2025 at 4:40pm CST by Adam La Rose

4:40pm: Head coach Sean McVay said (via ESPN’s Sarah Barshop) surgery is not expected to be needed in this case. Witherspoon is nevertheless facing a recovery timeline of roughly 12 weeks, so he is in store to miss a large portion of the campaign.

1:34pm: The Rams’ secondary will be shorthanded for a notable period. Cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon was placed on injured reserve Monday, per a team announcement.

Witherspoon is dealing with a broken clavicle. Today’s move ensures he will miss at least the next four games. A return could take place as early as Week 7, although that contest will be followed by the Rams’ bye week. It would come as no surprise if Witherspoon were to only be back in the fold after that point.

Losing the 30-year-old for any period will deal a blow to Los Angeles’ defense. Witherspoon has proven to be a key presence at the cornerback spot during his Rams tenure. After being released by the Steelers in 2023, the former third-rounder signed with the Rams. That move saw him serve as a full-time starter during his debut Los Angeles campaign.

A pair of one-year deals have followed, allowing Witherspoon to remain in place. His snap share fell to 58% in 2024, a season in which he was limited to 13 games. Missed time will again be in store this season. Witherspoon has started each of the Rams’ first two contests in 2025, but a new setup will now be needed at the CB position moving forward.

Emmanuel Forbes has been a key presence early in the campaign. The former Commanders first-rounder has handled a 77% snap share to date, and that figure could increase with Witherspoon not in the picture for the time being. Cobie Durant and Darious Williams are also candidates to take on a larger workload after seeing part-time usage so far. Los Angeles will look to remain undefeated beginning with a Week 3 game against the Eagles.

That effort will not include Witherspoon, though. The Colorado product is a pending free agent, so missing a significant stretch will hinder his market value next spring in addition to leaving the Rams shorthanded in the secondary.

NFL Minor Transactions: 9/9/25

September 9th, 2025 at 6:32pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Dallas Cowboys

Jacksonville Jaguars

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Waived from IR: CB Cameron McCutcheon

Tre Hawkins was waived/injured at the end of the preseason and reverted to IR, meaning he wouldn’t be able to play during the 2025 campaign. After agreeing to an injury settlement today, he’ll now have an opportunity to take the field elsewhere. The former sixth-round pick started three of his 17 appearances as a rookie, but he was limited to only three games in 2024 thanks in part to a season-ending fractured lumbar spine injury.

2025 Offseason In Review Series

September 7th, 2025 at 10:25pm CST by Adam La Rose

Here are PFR’s breakdowns of each NFL team’s 2025 offseason.

AFC East

AFC North

AFC South

AFC West

NFC East

NFC North

NFC South

NFC West

Extension Candidate: Quentin Lake

September 7th, 2025 at 10:12pm CST by Ely Allen

While it didn’t get done in the rush before the start of the regular season, an extension for Rams defensive back Quentin Lake should absolutely be on the table. Playing in the versatile ‘star’ position for Los Angeles in 2024, Lake has made himself an indispensable part of the team’s secondary.

Playing mostly on special teams as a sixth-round rookie in 2022, Lake found a bigger role on defense as his sophomore campaign progressed. A safety during his time at UCLA, Lake began seeing more reps on the Rams defense as a slot corner, splitting time in the role with cornerback Cobie Durant. His role got bigger as the season went on, with Lake getting some starts and increased playing time in the back half of the year.

In 2024, he was named a full-time starter for the Rams. He began the year starting at safety and coming down into the slot for sub packages with an extra defensive back while John Johnson covered his safety spot. When Johnson went on injured reserve with a shoulder injury, third-round rookie Kamren Kinchens became the first safety off the bench. Kinchens struggled early on, and Lake was depended on to hold down the safety position. The Rams slowly gained confidence in Kinchens and began to give him more run at safety, allowing Lake to exercise a more versatile role once again.

Lake appeared all over the field in 2024. Out of 1,207 snaps played on defense, Lake played 511 (42%) in the slot, 398 (33%) at safety, and 244 (20%) in the box. Part of his effectiveness in roaming around the field is due, in part, to his superior run defense, which graded second only to Defensive Rookie of the Year Jared Verse on the Rams defense last year, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). For all his work around the field, Lake finished his 2024 campaign second on the team with 111 total tackles.

The types of players Lake most resembles are the versatile safeties like Budda Baker and Derwin James. He’s not quite on the level of those All-Pros, so he probably won’t garner anything near the $18MM-$19.13MM those two are averaging on their current deals. If Los Angeles wants to lock Lake down long-term, knowing how important a role he played in 2024, Lake could even encroach a double-digit average.

There’s currently a gap between Jaguars safety Darnell Savage (three-year, $21.75MM) and Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson (three-year, $27MM), and anywhere in that gap would make a lot of sense to me. With the season underway, any deal might have to wait for the offseason, but if the Rams want to give Lake peace of mind as he plays out the season on a contract year, finding time to extend him well before free agency might be a good idea.

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