LOS ANGELES — Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua (groin) is off the injury report and ready to play against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, head coach Sean McVay said.
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Nacua, who missed the last two games with this injury, was a full participant in Friday’s practice after logging limited days the first two practices of the week.
“Physically, he’s getting in and out of his breaks. He looks strong, he looks sturdy, he looks explosive,” McVay said. “In terms of the snap count, that’s the thing that we have to be willing to navigate. But you got confidence in some other guys that have played meaningful snaps in his absence.”
McVay did rule out tight end Terrance Ferguson (ankle) and defensive tackle Aaron Donald (back), while listing tight end Colby Parkinson (shoulder) as questionable despite not practicing at all this week. The Rams later put Ferguson on injured reserve on Friday, sidelining him for at least four games.
Donald felt some back soreness after Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos, McVay said, and the recovery did not progress as the team would have hoped.
“He’s as tough as it gets. Just not feeling good enough,” McVay said. “He could probably go be productive, but part of our job is to protect these tough dudes from themselves.”
Rams cut Xavier Smith
After a tumultuous performance against the Broncos last weekend, the Rams released receiver and kick returner Xavier Smith on Friday, the team announced.
“We just need better production out of that position,” McVay said. “That’s exclusively what it was. There were some decisions last week that we got to make better decisions.”
Smith, a three-year veteran, retained the Rams’ returner role heading into the 2026 season despite a fumbled punt that cost the Rams dearly in the NFC championship game in Seattle last season. Against the Broncos, he let one punt roll, costing the Rams at least 5 yards of field position, then fielded another punt at the 1-yard line despite it bouncing toward the end zone for a touchback.
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While special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone was critical of Smith while talking with the media Thursday, he said the Rams weren’t considering a change at returner.
“I would say overall, he’s been inconsistent. We need to do a better job of tracking the ball, judging the ball, fielding the ball when necessary, not fielding it in other situations,” Ventrone said. “I think that he’ll do the necessary things to be able to sustain at that position for us.”
But McVay said the Rams ultimately made the decision to part ways with Smith after practice Thursday evening.
“We weren’t thinking about it when he talked to you guys yesterday,” McVay said. “As you get a chance to kind of take a step back and evaluate the totality of our group, what’s the best way to try to put together all three stages, did feel like that was in the best interest of the group.”
As the Rams (1-2) prepare to face the Eagles (2-1), the Rams expect to promote receiver Alex Bachman from the practice squad to return kicks on Sunday in Philadelphia. McVay also floated Kyren Williams as a possible alternate, but said he didn’t want to put that kind of responsibility on his starting running back if he doesn’t have to.
While McVay did not rule out potential tryouts with free agents, he wants to give Bachman a real opportunity to win the job this weekend.
“I think I’m interested to see how Alex does,” McVay said. “But we’re always looking at, if there’s ways of improving the caliber of our team those will be avenues that we’ll always explore within whatever parameters that we can do that within.”
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