Terrance Ferguson took a meaningful step back into the Rams’ tight end mix on Sunday, and it came at exactly the right time.
During the media viewing window in Woodland Hills, Ferguson was back working with the quarterbacks and the wide receiver/tight end group after missing multiple practices because of what Sean McVay called soreness. That’s not the same as a full return, and it does not amount to an official green light for Thursday. But it is a better sign than what the Rams had been dealing with earlier in the week.
Benjamin Royer of the Orange County Register noted that Ferguson “was doing individual drills with QBs and the WR/TE groups during the media-watching period- after multiple practices out with what Sean McVay called ‘soreness.’”
Linebacker Grant Stuard was also working off to the side with trainers.
McVay had already tried to keep things measured with Ferguson and Stuard. On Aug. 31, he said the team was “erring on the side of caution” because both were “a little bit sore” with days off ahead, according to the Rams’ own injury notes.
Ferguson had also been working off to the side on Aug. 25.
What Sunday’s work really means is simple: Ferguson is moving in the right direction, but he still hasn’t been stamped for a specific snap count in the opener. The next real checkpoints come Monday with the first regular-season injury report, then again when the pads are on and the Rams decide whether he’s limited or full.
That matters because Ferguson is not just another body in the tight end room. McVay’s offense leans hard on multiple-tight-end looks, and Ferguson is built for that job. The Rams took the Oregon product 46th overall in 2025, making him the highest-selected Ducks tight end since 1975, per Oregon athletics.
As a rookie, Ferguson caught 11 passes for 231 yards and three touchdowns. More telling than the raw numbers was how often he was on the field: the Rams said he reached at least 30 percent of offensive snaps in all but one game from Weeks 6-17. McVay has said Ferguson “plays every single skill position except for halfback,” and Ferguson has made his own second-year goal clear: “I just want to be involved in all aspects of the game.”
That kind of usage changes how the Rams can line up. With Ferguson available, McVay can lean into 12 personnel - one running back, two tight ends - or 13 personnel with three tight ends, keep more protection on the line, and still threaten defenses through the air. Against San Francisco, that can force linebackers and safeties into a tough choice: load up against the run, or respect a 6-foot-5 tight end who can release outside and work into the route tree.
If Ferguson is not ready to go, Los Angeles still has options. Tyler Higbee, Colby Parkinson and Davis Allen can keep the Rams in two-tight-end sets. But that group does not give McVay the same vertical element Ferguson brings.
The room got even more crowded in April when the Rams selected Max Klare 61st overall. The Ohio State tight end caught 43 passes for 448 yards and two touchdowns in 14 games as a Buckeye, according to the Rams on draft night.
Camp chatter pointed toward Ferguson and Klare as a possible pairing in 12 or 13 personnel. Whether that actually shows up Thursday in Melbourne depends on Ferguson clearing more than just individual drills.
Ferguson isn’t the only Rams skill player being handled carefully ahead of the trip to Australia. Puka Nacua has been working back from a psoas injury suffered in an August joint practice. McVay said Sunday that Nacua is expected to play Thursday in Melbourne, matching an ESPN update from Jeremy Fowler relayed by Newsweek that said Nacua has been “back in stride this week, no setbacks,”
Davante Adams is also being managed. ClutchPoints, citing Nate Atkins of The Athletic, reported that Adams is dealing with a knee issue entering game week and told Atkins he feels “pretty good” heading into Thursday. McVay has not suggested Adams will sit, and the veteran did not play in the preseason.
The Rams and 49ers kick off at 5:35 p.m. PT Thursday, Sept. 10 - 10:35 a.m.
Friday, Sept. 11, in Melbourne - at the MCG in the first regular-season NFL game in Australia, ESPN confirmed. Los Angeles is expected to arrive about a day before the game, which is why Sunday’s individual work mattered so much.
Ferguson doesn’t need to be fully cleared to travel. He does need the staff comfortable putting him on a plane and then onto the field for Week 1.
For now, the best read is the cleanest one: Ferguson’s soreness has not been described as structural, his return to individual work is real, and his status for Thursday won’t be settled until the injury report says so.
In Other News...
Braden Fiske Is Feeling The Rams' Blockbuster Move In A Real Way
The Rams roster makeover has already sent ripples through the locker room, and Braden Fiske is one of the players feeling it most. Los Angeles trade for Myles Garrett was the kind of blockbuster move that instantly changes the tone around a team, but it also came with a real cost on the defensive front, with Jared Verse headed out in the aftermath and teammates left to absorb the shock of the deal.
For Fiske, the reaction has been part football, part personnel reality, the sort of moment that reminds everyone how quickly the league can turn. The Rams made their swing for a marquee edge presence, and the move has already triggered conversations about roles, depth and how the defense reshapes itself from here, with the full effect still unfolding around the edges. [Read more 🡒]
Rams Secondary Suddenly Has A New Question Before Week 1
The Rams secondary picked up an unexpected wrinkle just before the 2026 regular season opener, with cornerback Zech McPhearson no longer on the roster after a brief and quiet stint in Los Angeles. McPhearson was signed in August, then moved to injured reserve later that month as the team sorted through its late-summer depth chart at cornerback.
By early September, the Rams had terminated his contract with an injury settlement, closing the book on a signing that never really got going. The team has not said what injury McPhearson is dealing with or how the settlement was structured, leaving one more layer of uncertainty around a defensive back group that is trying to settle in before Week 1. [Read more 🡒]
Puka Nacua Nears Rams Return With Big Questions Still Hanging
Puka Nacua appears to be on track to return for the Rams game against the 49ers next week, a welcome development for a team that has missed one of its most dynamic receivers. Sean McVay said Nacua has made progress while recovering from a core muscle injury, and the expectation around the building is that he should be available again soon.
Nacuas on-field comeback, though, comes with bigger questions still hanging over the situation. He remains involved in a civil lawsuit alleging off-field misconduct and is also waiting on possible NFL discipline, even as he has spoken publicly about spending the offseason focused on self-improvement and mental health support. For the Rams, it leaves his return to football paired with a layer of uncertainty that could linger well beyond next week. [Read more 🡒]