Rams coach Sean McVay expects Myles Garrett and Puka Nacua to miss more practice time

The Los Angeles Rams are preparing for another week without two of their most important offensive and defensive building blocks, head coach Sean McVay said Monday. According to McVay, neither Myles Garrett nor Puka Nacua is expected to be back in practice this week, a delay that prolongs their time off the field during a critical stretch of camp.

McVay’s comments also suggest the Rams’ timetable has shifted more than once. Earlier reports had indicated Nacua would return to practice after an initial absence, but McVay has since pushed that return to next week. For Garrett, McVay was less specific, saying the situation is likely similar but using language that stops short of a firm commitment.

The practical effect is straightforward, even if the details of the underlying reasons are not fully described in the report: the Rams will continue to install their weekly plan without Garrett’s regular role and without Nacua at his typical place in their passing game. In training camp, those gaps can ripple across practice reps, because offensive and defensive units are designed to work in rhythm with one another’s timing and matchups.

For the Rams’ defense, the absence of Garrett matters most for how the team can simulate game-like pressure up front. A week without his regular participation affects who takes over his reps, how often the defensive line can run the same looks together, and how practice leadership is distributed during live or semi-live segments.

On offense, Nacua’s prolonged absence impacts more than just the number of targets. The Rams will have to keep shaping routes, timing, and session-by-session communication without a receiver who typically anchors a large share of the team’s downfield and third-down rhythm. That can change how quarterbacks progress through reads during team periods and how the coaching staff measures other receivers against coverage.

McVay’s use of “probably” for Garrett, alongside his clearer next-week language for Nacua, also points to a level of uncertainty the Rams are likely to manage throughout the remainder of the camp window. Until both players are able to return, the team’s focus will remain on continuity, depth evaluation, and limiting disruptions that come from missing familiar pieces.

What to watch next is whether Garrett and Nacua return to full participation next week, and how their first practices back translate into live-action sharpness. If either remains out longer than anticipated, the Rams may face difficult decisions about who becomes the primary practice option in their spot, and how quickly the team can integrate them back into game-ready timing.