Los Angeles

Rams

Regarding recently unretired DT Aaron Donald’s potential participation, McVay said that “if he feels good enough to go, great. If not, I’ve got a lot of confidence in the other guys.” The Rams have a two-game roster exemption for Donald, so they can take their time with him if they would like to. Regardless, the fact that he is traveling with the team suggests he has a real chance to play next week.

Garrett continues to not practice while experiencing swelling in his knee. It sounds like this is more maintenance than anything else, as the Rams want the start pass-rusher to be ready to roll and at his best for the opener against the 49ers next week in Australia. Still, it’s something to keep an eye on.

The exemption timeline is a little strange. Per Pelissero, it expires on September 11th, one day after the Rams’ Week 1 game against the 49ers. Regardless, it helps the team save roster space since Donald was officially reinstated to the active roster today.

Nacua had been dealing with psoas soreness in August, working off to the side or missing Rams practices for most of the month. He returns to practice Sunday and should not be in danger of missing any regular season time due to the injury. With news that Nacua will avoid the commissioner’s exempt list, he is still a good bet to go in the middle of the first round in fantasy drafts.

The 30-year-old receiver has made a name for himself on special teams and as a blocker. He’s caught five balls over the last two years for the Raiders. Also waived/released by the the Rams on a quiet day of last cuts are: S Nick Andersen, OL A.J. Acuri, OL Austin Blaske, P Jack Bouwmeester, OL Wyatt Bowles, RB Dean Connors, S Alex Cook, OLB Devean Deal, WR Tru Edwards, CB Nyzier Fourqurean, LB Tomon Fox, CB Steven Gilmore, CB Al’zillion Hamilton, OL Blake Hance, OL Bryce Henderson, LB Nikha Hill-Green, S Tanner Ingle, DB Alex Johnson, TE Rohan Jones, DT Tim Keenan III, DB Cam Lamplin, DT Jaxson Moi, OL Larrell Murchison, LB Elias Neal, DL Bill Norton, LB Darryl Peterson III, WR Brennan Presley, LB Monty Rice, DL Tyler Scott and S Nate Valcarcel.

Three players landed on what amounts to the “suspended with pay” list on Sunday, but Pelissero reports Nacua isn’t one of them. That does not necessarily mean Nacua is out of the woods for all time with the NFL, but his situation did not rise to the level of Josh Jacobs’ in the eyes of the shield. Now the main Week 1 question mark for Nacua is his groin injury, but it is not expected to keep him out of the Rams’ Australian opener vs. the 49ers.

The Packers’ tight end room was a tad thin, so the move makes sense. They signed TE Jonnu Smith earlier this week. Redman is a second-year player who went undrafted in 2025.

After getting through the third and final dress rehearsal before the Rams kick off Week 1 in Australia, McVay said he won’t be “pigeon-holding” himself into any decision just yet. Rookie Ty Simpson and fourth-year vet Stetson Bennett have both performed well for the Rams this preseason, with Bennett sitting out Thursday’s game against the Chargers. The decision to sit Bennett on Thursday, coupled with the 62 snaps he saw in the preseason to Simpson’s 111, could be a signal as to which way McVay is leaning at this point, although he is on record saying we shouldn’t read too much into that. Regardless, the good news for McVay and Rams fans is that Matthew Stafford is healthy and will hopefully be under center for all 17 of the Rams’ games this season as he looks to defend his crown as the reigning league MVP.

Back with his old team, Atwell is highly unlikely to warrant FLEX treatment this season, but he provides the Rams with a speed element that the offense was somewhat lacking. The move also indicates that TE Terrance Ferguson will not be asked to stretch the field as much as he did last year, freeing him up for a potential breakout campaign. Last week, The Athletic’s Nate Atkins reported that Hunter has had a good training camp, showing “many of the rushing skills that had the Rams enamored enough to trade up and draft him in the fourth round last year.” He will likely compete for the No. 2 running back job in Miami.

Checking in on the star pass-rusher heading into the third preseason week, Garrett (knee) still has not practiced since early August. He is experiencing swelling in his knee and head coach Sean McVay continues to downplay his absence. It’s possible this is just veteran load management; we still expect Garrett to be ready for Week 1, though his absence is becoming more and more notable as the season inches closer.