Rams Sunday Morning Notebook: Davante Adams Return Timeline, Puka Nacua Update, and the WR They Should Have Drafted

As the Los Angeles Rams head into Week 10, they are still looking for their first division win of the season. They should have a good chance on Sunday as they play the Arizona Cardinals with Carson Beck set to make his first career start. There’s a lot to discuss this week as the Rams continue to manage injuries. Let’s get into this week’s Sunday Morning Notebook.

Davante Adams Could Return Sooner Than Expected

The Rams entered the trade deadline needing a wide receiver, and while they made calls, nothing ever got serious. A big reason for that was because the Rams are expecting Davante Adams and Puka Nacua back this season.

Earlier this week, head coach Sean McVay was asked when he expected Adams to be back. McVay seemed to think Week 13 after the Packers game was realistic.

“I would think after Green Bay is a realistic timeline for him, but he looks great,” McVay said on Wednesday. “I talked to him the other day and he's feeling good and excited whenever that time is to get him back.”

However, despite McVay saying that Adams could be back after Green Bay, NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport seems to believe the target date is the Packers game.

“They believe the Thanksgiving Eve game, that’s Wednesday against the Packers, would be the target date. So sooner rather than later,” said Rapoport.

From @NFLGameDay: A look at when the #Rams may be getting WR help... pic.twitter.com/jcRcxqFFix
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 15, 2026

Rapoport’s report seems to contradict what McVay said earlier in the week, but either way, the expectation is for Adams to be back shortly after the bye.

Why the Rams Ultimately Placed Puka Nacua on Injured Reserve

After Nacua got injured last week against the Washington Commanders, there was some thought that the Rams might not put him on injured reserve. Nacua’s injury is expected to keep him out for around four weeks. With the Rams projected to have already used six of their eight return designations from injured reserve, they considered saving one by not putting Nacua on IR.

However, the Rams ended up deciding to put Nacua on injured reserve. McVay explained what changed on Friday.

“We needed the roster spot. We didn't need it initially, semantics, mechanics of it. There was never going to be a time that he was going to be able to return prior to it anyways,” said McVay. “It really was not putting him on because of roster mechanics. Some things changed where we needed that spot because of all the moving pieces…That was what went into the thought process there, but he's in good spirits.”

The Rams will be without Nacua for four games, not four weeks. That would put Nacua’s return in Week 15 against the Dallas Cowboys on December 20.

Forget Makai Lemon, the Rams Should Have Drafted Antonio Williams

With every passing week that the Rams deal with another injury at wide receiver, the victory laps from those who believed they should have drafted a wide receiver in the first round only continue to grow. However, while Simpson is just the emergency third-string quarterback every week, that is all part of his development plan. Simpson looked good at the end of training camp and the preseason.

If Simpson works out, it will have been the right call. Additionally, Makai Lemon has been one of the least-efficient rookie wide receivers in 2026, struggling to make an impact for the Eagles. He hasn’t looked good for the Eagles so far. Maybe that would be different with the Rams, but the overall production would likely look similar. Lemon is averaging 0.97 yards per route, which ranks 88th out of 111 wide receivers. He also ranks 82nd in EPA per target.

The argument that the Rams should have taken Lemon with the 13th overall pick is growing tired. However, the correct takeaway is that the Rams probably should have taken Antonio Williams over Max Klare.

Williams scored a touchdown for the Commanders in their win on Thursday Night Football against the New York Giants. While we can call it hindsight, Williams is the player that I took for the Rams in my shadow draft.

ANTONIO WILLIAMS TO THE PYLON.

COMMANDERS RESPOND.

WASvsNYG on Prime
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/6dLcWP6Mos
— NFL (@NFL) November 13, 2026

His 0.32 EPA per target ranks 45th, putting him between players like George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb.. Williams is also averaging 1.38 yards per route run. At the end of the day, he’s also contributing.

Had the Rams drafted Williams, he may be in the same spot Klare is with limited snaps. However, Klare’s upside this year was always TE5. Even when the Rams have been hurt at tight end, they’ve barely used him. At worst, Williams would have come in as the WR4.

Add us as a preferred source on Google