Rams Stand Pat at the Deadline Without Nacua as Chargers Trade Henley; Lakers Win Sixth Straight
With Puka Nacua headed to injured reserve, the Rams added only a practice-squad receiver, while the 0-8 Chargers sent linebacker Daiyan Henley to Denver for two draft picks.
LOS ANGELES — The Rams let Tuesday's NFL trade deadline pass without adding a receiver, one day after Sean McVay said star Puka Nacua will likely land on injured reserve, while the winless Chargers traded starting linebacker Daiyan Henley to the division-leading Denver Broncos for two mid-round draft picks.
The deadline was 1 p.m. Pacific. Rams Wire reported that it "came and went without a trade being made by the Rams," even though McVay had said the team would be open to one. Shortly afterward, the club signed receiver Xavier Smith off the San Francisco 49ers' practice squad and moved receiver Jordan Whittington to injured reserve, NBC Sports reported.
Nacua Out at Least a Month
McVay said Monday that an MRI showed Nacua sprained the medial collateral and posterior cruciate ligaments in his right knee and also has turf toe. "He's going to be out for a good amount of time," McVay said, according to the Rams' website, adding that "it's a strong chance that we put him on IR. So we're thinking it's going to be at least a month."
Nacua was hurt on the Rams' last offensive snap of Sunday's 20-13 win at Washington, a jet sweep he carried for five yards on third-and-11. He had already caught 14 passes for a season-high 150 yards and a touchdown in the game, and has 70 catches for 715 yards and four touchdowns in seven games this season.
McVay said he has second-guessed the call. "I'd be lying to you if I said I haven't questioned the decision making on that last play over and over in my head," he said, calling it "stuff that I feel tremendous responsibility for."
An IR stint would keep Nacua out of the next four games, against Arizona, Green Bay, Kansas City and San Francisco, with a bye in between, making the Dec. 20 game against Dallas the earliest he could return, according to NFL.com. Davante Adams is already on injured reserve with a hamstring injury, and McVay said guard Steve Avila left Sunday's game with a hamstring strain that will cost him "a little bit of time."
Why the Rams Stayed Put
The market thinned out quickly. Indianapolis traded Keenan Allen to the 49ers for a 2027 sixth-round pick and sent Josh Downs to Kansas City, and Jacksonville held onto Brian Thomas Jr., Rams Wire reported. The site noted the Rams have only four picks in the 2027 draft, pending compensatory selections, after offseason moves for Trent McDuffie and Myles Garrett.
That leaves a receiver room of Tutu Atwell, Konata Mumpfield, CJ Daniels and Smith, who caught 18 passes for 303 yards in 16 games for the Rams last season. Tight end Terrance Ferguson is also nursing a hamstring injury. The Rams (5-4) have won three straight and visit the Cardinals on Sunday at 1:05 p.m. Pacific on CBS, ClutchPoints reported.
Chargers Move Henley to Denver
The Chargers, at 0-8 the NFL's only winless team, sent Henley to the Broncos for a 2027 fourth-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick, the Los Angeles Times reported. Henley, in the final year of his rookie contract, started all eight games and had 51 tackles, including a season-high 10 and an interception against Houston on Sunday. The team had signaled it would not make bigger moves, such as dealing Khalil Mack, Derwin James Jr. or Ladd McConkey. Denver (7-2) leads the AFC West and has won five straight; the teams meet in the regular-season finale.
Lakers Roll On; Clippers in Phoenix Tonight
On the court, the Lakers won their sixth straight game Monday night, beating the Hawks 124-114 in Atlanta without Austin Reaves (illness) and Quentin Grimes (sprained right finger). Luka Doncic, back from a one-game absence with lower back tightness, had 32 points, 10 assists, eight rebounds and five steals, ESPN reported. Sandro Mamukelashvili added a season-high 23 off the bench, and Walker Kessler had 21 points and 10 rebounds. Doncic was named the Western Conference player of the week earlier Monday.
The 10-2 Lakers sit atop the West, and Grimes could return as soon as Wednesday in Milwaukee after negative X-rays, the Times reported. The Clippers (2-7), coming off a 139-123 win over New Orleans that snapped a seven-game skid, play at Phoenix at 6 p.m. Pacific tonight without Bradley Beal or Brandon Ingram, according to the Arizona Republic.
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