Rams place pair on injured reserve, hold off on Cooper Kupp

LOS ANGELES — The Rams have placed guard Jonah Jackson (shoulder) and safety John Johnson III (shoulder) on injured reserve, 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 has said will miss “an extended period of time” with a left ankle sprain.

On Monday, McVay noted that the Rams are running out of injured reserve/designated for return spots, “and we’re only into Week 3.” NFL teams can designate up to eight players to return from injured reserve during the regular season.

In the Rams’ Week 2 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, Jackson aggravated the shoulder injury that caused him to miss time during training camp. Johnson will be out for four to six weeks with a fracture in his scapula, he announced Monday on his podcast.

“[That’s] a big loss [at] safety,” McVay said. “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 missed 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.