Rams list C.J. Daniels Jr. and Max Klare as inactives for Monday Night Football vs. Bills

The Los Angeles Rams will be without two pieces of their receiving group on Monday Night Football. For their Week 5 game against the Buffalo Bills at SoFi Stadium, the Rams listed wide receiver C.J. Daniels Jr. and tight end Max Klare as inactive, a decision that reshapes the options available to the offense on a national stage.

The game is scheduled for 5:15 p.m. Pacific and will be carried by ESPN and ABC. With kickoff approaching, the inactives mean Los Angeles will need to lean on other perimeter targets and the next men up at tight end to run its passing concepts and keep its formation packages intact.

For C.J. Daniels Jr., being listed inactive removes a wideout from the active rotation for the Rams. Even when a player is not the featured target, the loss of a receiver can affect how defenses play the middle of the field, how the Rams distribute coverage responsibilities, and how quarterbacks handle pass protections on the perimeter.

Max Klare’s inactive status has a similar, position-specific impact. Tight ends are often involved in both the route plan and the run-game structure, and even in weeks where the tight end is primarily used as a blocker, having the player active can influence the Rams’ ability to stay in rhythm with play-action packages and short-yardage looks.

The Rams’ offensive staff will adjust accordingly, typically by increasing snap share for other tight ends and receivers, and by reshaping routes to account for who is eligible to run plays. Those changes can also cascade into special teams, since active-status inactives can shift coverage and return roles even when the listed change is only on the offensive side of the depth chart.

For Buffalo, the Bills will enter the contest knowing that the Rams will not have Daniels and Klare available. That gives Buffalo’s defense additional clarity as it prepares matchups, particularly in coverage assignments against the Rams’ intended personnel groupings and in how the Bills plan to defend routes that are often built around specific skill sets.

What to watch next is how Los Angeles distributes targets and tight-end usage once the game begins. The inactives may also reveal how the Rams are thinking about their Week 5 identity: whether they emphasize speed and slot work, expand tight-end routes with different personnel, or favor a more run-leaning approach to reduce the need for precision timing.

The Rams have not, in the official inactives listing, detailed the reasons for either decision. As always, inactive status should be treated as roster availability for game day, and the larger story will be how the Rams execute with the eligible group against a Bills team that routinely pressures the quarterback and attacks the run.

Inactives: C.J. Daniels Jr. (WR) and Max Klare (TE). Venue and broadcast: SoFi Stadium, ESPN and ABC, 5:15 p.m. PT. Week 5 opponent: Buffalo Bills.

This matchup turns on in-game roster availability, and Monday Night Football amplifies how quickly those adjustments can show up in the pass game and formation choices.