McVay: Puka Nacua likely headed to IR as Rams weigh hamstring for Steve Avila, back progress for Trent McDuffie

The Rams’ situation for their Week 10 matchup took a hit Monday when head coach Sean McVay said wide receiver Puka Nacua is “going to be out for a good amount of time” after injuring his MCL and PCL and suffering turf toe against Washington, with McVay calling it “a strong chance” the team places him on Injured Reserve. He added the team is thinking the absence would be at least a month.

McVay did not present a long-range certainty for the exact return date, but he framed the decision in terms of recovery and roster management. Asked directly about a timeline beyond that minimum, he declined to commit, instead emphasizing the likelihood of an IR designation.

Offensively, Los Angeles also dealt with an early-season-limiting setback of its own when McVay said offensive lineman Steve Avila left Sunday’s game with a hamstring strain. McVay characterized it as “going to be a little bit of time,” and said the team is not currently aiming to put Avila on IR, citing how close the Rams are to the league’s regular-season cap on IR return slots.

That roster-availability context includes earlier IR usage by the Rams this season, which McVay said totals three of eight return slots used so far. He also noted that tight end Terrance Ferguson, who has a practice window, would likely miss “another couple of weeks,” and that the Rams are trying to avoid having to sit him without activating him when the clock expires.

On defense, cornerback Trent McDuffie’s status appears more encouraging in the near term. McVay said McDuffie is “making good progress with his back,” and described the approach as day-to-day as the Rams try to get him back this week after he missed Week 9 with a back injury.

In addition to the primary injury matters, McVay’s comments suggested the Rams are balancing IR planning alongside other players who already factor into those return-slot calculations, including the expectation that they will use one of the remaining designations on defensive end Kobie Turner.