Nacua Expected Week 1 vs 49ers, McVay Says

Sean McVay expects Puka Nacua to be out there Thursday when the Rams open against the 49ers in Australia. The same goes for left tackle Alaric Jackson. Asked Sunday if he still plans on both suiting up despite ongoing personal-conduct reviews, McVay did not blink.

"Yeah, absolutely," McVay said, via ESPN's Sarah Barshop and NFL.com. "That's what I've heard. I haven't heard anything different." That is the clearest public signal yet that Los Angeles is preparing as if its top wideout and starting tackle are available for kickoff Down Under.

Reviews open, exempt list closed

Nacua has faced a civil lawsuit filed in March. Jackson was arrested on suspicion of felony domestic violence in June before a pre-filing diversion path. The league reviewed both situations. Neither landed on the commissioner's exempt list on Aug. 30, the date Green Bay's Josh Jacobs and Denver's Jonathon Cooper did for their own offseason cases. That distinction matters when you are counting bodies for Week 1.

Nacua is also managing psoas soreness that cropped up after the August joint practice with Dallas. The Rams have dialed his workload accordingly. The availability talk is still about whether discipline arrives, not whether he can run routes if cleared. For fantasy and ticket holders watching the Australia opener, McVay's Sunday answer is the update that moves the needle.

Donald and Garrett practiced, statuses Tuesday

On the other side of the ball, Aaron Donald and Myles Garrett both practiced Sunday. McVay said he would update their Week 1 statuses on Tuesday. Donald just came out of retirement to rejoin Los Angeles. Garrett has missed practice time with knee soreness. Those are separate tracks from the Nacua and Jackson conversation, but they stack into the same Thursday roster math.

The Rams already have defensive noise around that opener, including the Bosa and Kittle Week 1 picture on the 49ers side. McVay's message on Nacua keeps the offense from turning into a guessing game. Australia gets a full-strength skill look unless the league says otherwise before kickoff.