Sean McVay’s latest turn toward a tight-end-heavy Rams offense isn’t just about scheme. It could also be about survival - specifically, the long-term survival of Puka Nacua’s body.
Former NFL receiver Steve Smith made that case on his podcast with James Palmer, pointing to the way heavier personnel could help the Rams keep Nacua on the field and, in theory, fresher over the course of a season. That idea lands with extra weight because Nacua’s Week 7 absence last season helped push the Rams further down this path in the first place.
The logic is simple enough. The Rams don’t have much proven receiver depth behind Nacua and Davante Adams, and that makes every snap for Nacua carry more responsibility than it should. Jordan Whittington, Konata Mumpfield, and CJ Daniels all have a chance to matter, but the source of the problem is obvious: there may not be a reliable third option waiting to take over if one of the top two gets hurt.
So if McVay leans harder into multi-tight-end looks, he can spread the workload around. That would give the offense more run blocking without asking Nacua to do quite so much of it himself, and it would trim some of the punishment that comes with his all-in style.
Palmer laid out the point this way: "The other part that they saw out of that," Palmer said, "and this is what I'm getting to you is, Steve, 'We can have Puka play fewer snaps and be just as productive.' And that's something they're looking into. Like, we can't overwork this guy to the level that we have for stretches."
That concern makes sense when you look at how much Nacua has been asked to absorb. He has been banged up in each of the last two seasons and is currently out of practice with groin soreness. He has also played just 68% of offensive snaps since 2024, after logging 87% as a rookie, yet the volume and violence of his usage still stand out.
According to PFF, Nacua was targeted 166 times in 490 regular-season pass snaps. That means more than a third of the time he was out there on a pass play, he was finishing the route, taking the catch, and usually ending the play by taking a hit - often after fighting through contact on the way to the ball.
Smith didn’t sugarcoat the workload either. "I think it's essential for the team to do that for Puka Nacua, because Puka is not going to take any plays off," Smith said. "He's not going to take the run game and utilize that as a down off."
And that run-game work is a big part of the picture. Nacua’s 236 run snaps ranked seventh among receivers, even though he only had 10 carries.
His pass-play snaps ranked 34th among 81 qualified wideouts, but the physical toll of all that blocking is its own issue. In the playoffs, he added 59 more run-play snaps, the most of any receiver and one-third of his total playing time.
The Rams don’t have to stop using him that way. They just may need to use him a little less.
That’s especially true with his injury history and with an extension looming, one that likely waits until after the season. The alternative is obvious, and the Rams know the cautionary tale in-house: Cooper Kupp’s peak was brilliant, but health eventually caught up to him, leaving him with just 812 receiving yards over the last four years.
Smith joked about the comparison, saying, "Oh, now they're getting smart. I bet you Cooper Kupp is over there saying, 'That would have helped me,'"
McVay is never going to hide Nacua if he doesn’t have to. But if the Rams want to protect one of their most important players, the tight-end-heavy approach offers a pretty clean answer: keep the offense effective, keep the punishment distributed, and keep Nacua from wearing down the way so many high-mileage stars eventually do.
In Other News...
Rams Just Got Needed O-Line Help At The Right Time
Justin Dedich is back in the fold at just the right time for a Rams offensive line that has been trying to hold together through a run of injuries and potential suspensions. After missing training camp with a hand injury, Dedich passed a physical and was activated by Los Angeles, giving the team another interior option as it works through the early part of the season.
Dedich is expected to add depth rather than immediately reshape the lineup, but even that matters when the line room has been stretched thin. He may have to start the season playing with a cast, a reminder that the Rams are still managing health as much as they are building continuity up front. [Read more 🡒]
Rams Roster Moves Just Put A Familiar Defender In Limbo
The Rams reshaped the back end of their roster with a flurry of moves, adding cornerback Steven Gilmore and outside linebacker Devean Deal while waiving linebacker Daniel Rickert with an injury designation. Los Angeles also shifted veteran cornerback Zech McPhearson and edge rusher Keir Thomas II to injured reserve, a set of transactions that underscored how quickly the depth chart can change in late August.
Thomas move stands out because he has been part of the Rams organization for four years and carved out a role across 17 games, mostly as a depth defender with 13 tackles and three tackles for loss. He exited a recent preseason game with a groin injury, and landing on injured reserve leaves his future in a far less certain place as the Rams continue trimming and reworking the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Rams Just Opened One Last Preseason Door For Young Players
The Rams kept the roster churn going as they added edge rusher Devean Deal and cornerback Steven Gilmore, a reminder that this part of August is as much about opportunity as it is about evaluation. With camp and preseason still shaping the back end of the roster, Los Angeles continues to sift through players who can handle special teams work, developmental snaps and the kind of depth every team ends up needing before the regular season arrives.
The corresponding moves opened spots after cornerback Zech McPhearson and edge rusher Keir Thomas were placed on injured reserve, while linebacker Daniel Rickert was waived with an injury designation. For younger players trying to stick, every shuffle matters because it changes the competition around them and can create one more chance to be seen before the Rams make their final calls. [Read more 🡒]