The Los Angeles Rams got some unfortunate injury news on Monday. Head coach Sean McVay told the media that the Rams will be without wide receiver Davante Adams, defensive lineman Kobie Turner, and defensive lineman Poona Ford for an extended period or the entire season.
You feel terrible for these guys because they put in so much work to try to be able to bring some stuff to life. Those guys are key contributors for us," said head coach Sean McVay. "The next thing is make sure that we figure out what's the best way for our team to be able to move forward in the absence of some critical factors for us. That's part of it. That’s an unfortunate part of this game. We’ve taken some shots this year and we have to be able to get up and keep swinging. This is a good test."
When it comes to the NFL, it’s a next-man-up mentality. The Rams will need their depth to step up in a big way if they are going to come back from a 2-4 start. Let’s take a look at the players the Rams will be relying on.
How the Rams Can Replace Davante Adams
Out of the injuries that the Rams suffered on Sunday, the loss of Davante Adams may hit the hardest. Stafford and Adams were clicking this season. Adams had back-to-back 100-yard games when Nacua was out of the lineup. He also already had six touchdowns through four weeks. Coming into the season, there were questions around the Rams’ WR3 situation. Now they don’t have a legitimate WR2 for the next 6-10 weeks.
“It's significant when you don't have a player like Davante, but we have to be able to adjust," said McVay. "His contributions can't be measured. You don't replace somebody like him so what you do is you have to be able to figure out, what's the next right thing? What does that look like in terms of our vision?"
WR Konata Mumpfield
The clear answer as to who steps up in place of Adams is Konata Mumpfield. Mumpfield isn’t a true ‘X’ receiver, but he is someone that the Rams have used frequently as the lone wide receiver in 13 personnel. The Rams seem to like what Mumpfield can do, but he still remains inefficient. Mumpfield has caught just eight of 17 targets this season. After playing just six snaps in Week 5, he was back up to 27 against the Cardinals. The Rams may rely on Mumpfield more with Adams out.
WR CJ Daniels
It will be interesting to see if CJ Daniels finally gets an opportunity. Daniels’ name came up a lot during training camp. During the preseason, Daniels had 15 receptions, which was tied for the most in the NFL. Daniels lined up out wide on 72.9 percent of his snaps during the preseason and would be a seamless fit in that spot. It’s unfair to ask Daniels to replace Adams and his production, but he could slide into that role. Adams spoke highly of Daniels this summer.
“I'm proud of him,” said Adams. “He came to me and asked what I thought he needed to work on. We talked about a couple of small things. I saw a lot of good stuff from him during the offseason program and he came back and did exactly those things.”
It’s been a surprise that Daniels hasn’t been active in six games, but this could be his opportunity. Daniels obviously isn’t the next Puka Nacua, but the Rams have been able to get a lot out of rookie wide receivers in the past. They may need that from Daniels.
Wide Receiver Trade Options
The Rams could try and trade for someone. However, at 2-4, it feels unlikely. They don’t have a lot of cap space and, right now, they need to keep their already limited draft capital. If the Rams do make a trade, Josh Downs and Jauan Jennings make a lot of sense. It’s possible the Rams could look into Brian Thomas Jr., but his price is likely too high.
Who Can Replace Kobie Turner on the Defensive Line?
Kobie Turner is going to be a huge loss on the Rams’ defense. In four years, he’s grown to be the heart and soul of that defensive line. Turner may only have 13 pressures this season, but he was having an impact as a run defender as well. He had a nine percent run stop rate with 10 run stops, according to Pro Football Focus. The Rams will hope to get Turner back soon from his groin injury, but he’ll be missed.
DL Ty Hamilton
The obvious replacement for Turner is Ty Hamilton. However, this is a huge drop-off. The Rams traded up for Hamilton last year, giving up a future fourth-round pick. In six games this year, he has an overall defensive grade below 50 via PFF.In three of those games, he recorded a grade below 40. Hamilton doesn’t have a single pressure this year in 24 pass-rush snaps. He’s supposed to be good against the run, but only has one run stop. The Rams are going to need Hamilton to step up. It will likely be a rotation here, but Hamilton will be the primary player in that spot.
DL Braden Fiske
Fiske has been rotating with Aaron Donald throughout much of the season, but without Turner, he could see more playing time. The issue with Fiske is that he isn’t as effective against the run due to his size. Still, he does have an 11.8 percent run stop rate, which ranks eighth in the NFL. He also leads the Rams with 16 pressures this season. In three years, Fiske has been labeled as a “JAG”, and this will be an opportunity for him to show that he is more than that.
Finding Answers at Nose Tackle Without Poona Ford
Ford hasn’t been as good as he was last year, but he’s still an important piece of the defensive line. The Rams added Ford after 2024 to be a space eater in the middle of the defensive line and help stop the run. He played an important role in making the Rams one of the best run-stopping defenses last year. Not having him in the middle of the defensive line for the rest of the season will be felt.
DL Tyler Davis
Tyler Davis played very well last season. While technically listed as Kobie Turner’s backup, he can play at nose tackle. The Rams have mostly used him on early downs next to Ford or alongside Turner on either side of the center. It wouldn’t be surprising, though, to see Davis used in place of Ford because of his size.
DL Bill Norton
With Ford out, the Rams will likely elevate Bill Norton from the practice squad. Norton is a player the Rams have been developing, but he has struggled in the preseason. He had just a 49.3 run defense grade via PFF last year. Norton has size and could be brought up to add some depth.
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