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Sarah Barshop, ESPN Staff Writer
LOS ANGELES — The Rams put guard Jonah Jackson (shoulder) and safety John Johnson III (shoulder) on injured reserve Wednesday, a move coach Sean McVay said Monday was a possibility.
The Rams did not make the same move for wide receiver Cooper Kupp, who McVay had said would miss “an extended period of time” because of a left ankle sprain.
McVay said Wednesday that Kupp would not require a procedure on the ankle, and would be in a cast for the next week before rehabbing.
Putting Kupp on injured reserve was “still a possibility,” according to McVay, “but there’s a chance just based on where our bye is … that he could get back before those four games.”
NFL teams can designate up to eight players to return from injured reserve during the regular season.
“We don’t necessarily need that [roster] spot,” McVay said Wednesday. “So because of the amount of injuries that we have, if there is a chance … neither one of those other two that we put on would’ve ever been able to be back before that four games … so for us, that was kind of what went into not necessarily putting [Kupp] on there yet.”
McVay said the IR decision had not “been finalized,” but for right now that was not the direction the team was taking with Kupp.
In the Rams’ Week 2 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, Jackson aggravated a shoulder injury that caused him to sit out time during training camp. Johnson will be out for four to six weeks because of a fracture in his scapula, he announced Monday on his podcast.
“[That’s] a big loss [at] safety,” McVay said of Johnson. “Young guys will be asked to be able to step up, guys that we do have confidence in, but his communication, his command, his playmaking ability will be tremendously missed. He will be back at some point. His loss will be major.”
Along with Jackson, the Rams have three other offensive linemen on injured reserve: guard Steve Avila (MCL sprain), tackle Joe Noteboom (high ankle sprain) and tackle Conor McDermott (undisclosed). The Rams will get tackle Alaric Jackson back from suspension this week after he sat out the first two games of the season for a violation of the NFL’s personal conduct policy.
The Rams are also without wide receiver Puka Nacua, who is on injured reserve after spraining his posterior cruciate ligament in Week 1.
Kupp, who led the NFL in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns in 2021, has not played a full season since then. In two games this season, Kupp has 18 catches for 147 yards and a touchdown.