Rams Injury Update: Aaron Donald out, Puka Nacua returns Sunday against the Eagles

Drew Smith
October 3, 2026
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The Rams will be at the Linc on Sunday, and they’ll be without Aaron Donald. Sean McVay said Friday that Donald won’t play against the Eagles because of back soreness. On the flip side, Puka Nacua is set to return after missing the last two games with a hip injury.

Aaron Donald:

Donald came out of retirement in late August, and the Rams have been managing his workload since he got back. He’s played 56% of the defensive snaps in his two games this season. McVay said Donald felt soreness in his back after the Rams’ Week 3 loss to the Broncos, and that’s enough to keep him out Sunday.

He’s not the every-down force he was in his prime, but he still changes how an offense has to plan. Without him in there, the Eagles’ offensive line has one less problem to solve, and after the way Jalen Hurts got hit around in Chicago, the protection needs to be a lot cleaner this week.

Puka Nacua:

Nacua won’t carry an injury designation, but McVay said the Rams are still working out how much he’ll play. He’s been dealing with the hip since Sept. 17, when he felt pain changing direction during practice. McVay said he looked sharp Thursday, which is the Rams’ heaviest practice day of the week. Nacua had five catches for 74 yards in the opener before getting hurt.

Snap count or not, Nacua is the guy the Eagles secondary has to account for. This defense let Case Keenum carve it up in the second half last week, and Nacua is a big step up from anything the Bears put on the field.

Other Notes from the Rams:

The Rams placed tight end Terrance Ferguson on injured reserve after he sprained his ankle against Denver. Cornerback Jaylen Watson has been ruled out with a shoulder injury, and tight end Colby Parkinson is questionable with knee and shoulder issues.

That leaves the Rams thin at tight end and down a starting corner coming into Philly. The Eagles are coming off their first loss of the season, and how they respond at home on Sunday will say a lot more about this team than anything that happened in Chicago.