It’s been an up-and-down five weeks for Rams rookie Jordan Whittington. The sixth-round pick went from playing 90-plus percent of the snaps against the Bears and Packers to only playing nine snaps in the next two games combined because of a lingering shoulder injury suffered at the end of Week 5.
Whittington managed to play nine snaps in Week 7 despite not being fully healthy, and even after an additional few days of rest, he was unable to suit up against the Vikings last Thursday night.
Sean McVay provided an update on the promising young receiver Monday and it doesn’t sound like he’s certain to be active this week when the Rams visit the Seahawks.
Jordan Whittington injury update
It was surprising to see Whittington inactive in Week 8 against the Vikings after he played nine snaps four days prior, but that was probably in part because of the returns of Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua. With the Rams’ top two receivers healthy, as well as Demarcus Robinson, Tyler Johnson and Tutu Atwell all contributing, they chose not to put Whittington in harm’s way.
McVay told reporters Monday that he should be feeling better but it remains to be seen if he’ll be one of the 48 players who are active on game day this week.
“We’ll see. The shoulder injury, I’m sure that he’ll be feeling better and better,” McVay said. “How does that restrict his availability to be the player that we know we’ve seen and when he’s been playing the way that he’s accustomed to play? What does that mean in terms of your 48? There are some positive problems that we’ve to be able to figure out now, especially as it relates to that receiver room being able to get a couple of our lead dog guys back healthy and ready to go.”
How long will Jordan Whittington be out?
It’s unclear whether Whittington will play this week or not, but if he is sidelined again, it could be more about the depth the Rams have at wide receiver than his current health. Playing a similar role to Nacua, the Rams may not see a clear role for Whittington when everyone is available.
As a result, it’s entirely up in the air when we’ll see the rookie on the field again.
Rams WR depth chart
Starter | Backup | |
WR1 | Cooper Kupp | Tutu Atwell |
WR2 | Puka Nacua | Jordan Whittington |
WR3 | Demarcus Robinson | Tyler Johnson |
The Rams have plenty of depth at wide receiver, with all six of the above players seeing meaningful snaps this season. Kupp and Nacua will start to play more snaps as they near full health, and it seems Robinson is entrenched as WR3 alongside them.