Davante Adams, Puka Nacua, George Pickens, Los Angeles Rams
Getty
A season that went off the rails early for the Los Angeles Rams is in danger of doing so again with Puka Nacua’s latest injury, even amid positive sentiment around Davante Adams, and a trade for Dallas Cowboys star George Picks (or someone like him) could be in order.
“Time to get George Pickens to LA,” Underdog’s Sosa Kremenjas posted on X on November 9 amid word that the Rams will most likely place Nacua on injured reserve with multiple injuries.
Kremenjas posted in a follow-up, “Not even playing but I’d definitely give the Cowboys a call and see if you could swap need-for-need with them, suggesting, “George Pickens for Byron Young” and saying, “Both on expiring deals, both solve big needs for each other. Long shot but worth the call. Rams need a future X anyway post-Davante.”
The sentiment has been a fairly popular one in terms of speculation.
However, the Chargers remain in the playoff hunt themselves, and Pickens is currently navigating his own injury concerns. Perhaps fittingly, it is a hamstring issue.
Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones said on @1053thefan that they are “gonna have some challenges” with their injury situation going into Sunday’s game against the 49ers.
On WR George Pickens (hamstring) and CB Joey Porter Jr. (foot): “We’ll just have to see how the week goes.”
On RB
Adams has been out since Week 6, when he suffered a hamstring injury.
It required a clean-up surgery and led to a stint on injured reserve. Rams head coach Sean McVay noted Adams could miss up to 10 weeks. However, there is more optimism around the Pro Bowler than that.
“Thankfully, a procedure was done,” Dr. Robert Klapper of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center told ABC 7’s Curt Sandoval in a one-on-one interview that aired on November 7. “He tore the medial [hamstring] and ripped it. The procedure is literally to clean it up and reattach it, which gives it a booster shot in terms of the healing.”
Klapper compared the muscle to reins on a horse, noting that without it, the animal will only travel in a straight path.
Moreover, he explained why he expects Adams to return sooner rather than later.
“With the surgery, a procedure, you can now tease out all the explosion, if you will, and line up– line to line–the tendon that tore,” Klapper told Sandoval. “You’re speeding up the body’s ability to reorganize itself.”
Klapper said that he expects Adams will return in Week 12 against the Green Bay Packers. But the trade deadline is on November 10, leaving the Rams with little time to make a decision.
Opinions Split About Rams as Trade Deadline Looms
Rams head coach Sean McVay said they will explore every option for their wide receiver corps. It is poised to feature Jordan Whittington, Tutu Atwell, Konata Mumpfield, and rookie sixth-round pick CJ Daniels, barring a trade.
“If Puka Nacua’s knee injury is serious, it only puts greater emphasis on adding a pass catcher at the deadline,” CBS Sports’ Tyler Sullivan wrote on November 9 before official word on the star’s status. “Remember, they’re already without Davante Adams (hamstring). Even someone like Jerry Jeudy would do wonders for them.”
However, sentiments are still mixed locally, at least about pursuing someone like Pickens, who could ultimately be a rental.
The Rams have already committed significant draft capital to their current group.
A move for a player like Pickens could cost the Rams their second-round pick in the 2027 draft. It could even cost their first-rounder in 2028. Either option would leave the Rams without their top two selections in that particular cycle.
Not making any move could prove overly ambitious for a team that entered the season as prohibitive Super Bowl favorites.