The Rams were dealt a brutal blow at the end of their loss to the Commanders when receiver Puka Nacua went down with an injury. According to coach Sean McVay, Nacua is now “likely” to be placed on injured reserve as he deals with turf toe and MCL and PCL sprains. If he lands on IR, he will miss at least four weeks. 

While Sunday’s 20–13 victory wasn’t pretty, the Rams had many reasons to feel positive. Myles Garrett, the Rams’ prized offseason trade acquisition, made his return by sacking Jayden Daniels three times and forcing a fumble. The win also marked the first time all season that the Rams climbed above .500 on the season, improving to 5–4. 

The Rams have dealt with several injuries this season, including to receiver Davante Adams, and now will be without Nacua for an extended time. As Los Angeles navigates arguably its biggest loss yet, here is a closer look at the Rams’ receiver depth chart and options for them to target at the trade deadline. 

Rams’ WR depth chart

• Jordan Whittington
• Konata Mumpfield
• Tutu Atwell
• CJ Daniels

The Rams face a thin, largely inexperienced receiver room. This season, Nacua has 70 receptions for 715 yards and four touchdowns. All four remaining receivers on the depth chart have a combined 20 receptions for 273 yards and one touchdown.

McVay noted that Daniels, their sixth-round rookie who has yet to record his first career reception, could see more opportunities amid the injuries, per Stu Jackson of Rams.com.

Of course, the Rams will not be able to rely on these receivers the way they have with Nacua. They can certainly lean on their running back and tight end rooms, using both Kyren Williams and Blake Corum while also running 13 personnel at the highest rate in the NFL (37.42%). Still, even their tight end room isn’t fully healthy. The Rams were slated to get Terrance Ferguson, one of their most explosive weapons, back until he sustained a hamstring injury in practice while working his way back from IR. 

Could the Rams make a trade?  

McVay did not rule out adding another receiver ahead of the trade deadline, which is 4 p.m. ET Tuesday. 

“I think you’ve got to look at all avenues to try to be able to solve some of the issues or situations or scenarios that have come up,” McVay said of adding another receiver, per Jackson.

There are still several receivers that are trade candidates the Rams could target, including:

• Brian Thomas Jr., Jaguars
• Josh Downs, Colts
• Rashod Bateman, Ravens
• Jerry Jeudy, Browns
• Calvin Ridley, Titans

The Rams need more depth at receiver regardless, but the question is if trading for another wideout will even be enough. While Thomas is exceptionally talented, he has had little success in Liam Coen’s offense, a scheme similar to what McVay runs. Thomas also has not been consistent since his rookie campaign, so there is no guarantee he would return to that level with the Rams. Downs, Bateman, Jeudy and Ridley would all be upgrades to the Rams’ receiver room, but none have come close to Nacua’s production over the past few seasons. 

Beyond the players available via trade, the Rams’ offensive struggles to stay consistent when they are not targeting Nacua. Matthew Stafford is not playing at an MVP level this season, and was off-target on a number of throws against the Commanders, particularly when he wasn’t passing to Nacua. On Sunday, Stafford threw for 228 yards, and 150 of them went to Nacua. Their next-best receiver was Konata Mumpfield, who finished with two receptions for 20 yards. 

The Rams’ next four games are against the Cardinals, Packers, Chiefs and 49ers. While their defense looks better with Garrett's return and they should be able to beat the Cardinals, another injury-plagued team, it’s hard to see the Rams taking down their next three opponents with their offense and receiver room in their current state. The Rams already have four losses, and can’t afford to lose many more games if they want to make the playoffs.