Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay said Sunday that he expects wide receiver Puka Nacua and left tackle Alaric Jackson to be available for the season opener against the San Francisco 49ers in Australia.
The answer removes one of the biggest immediate questions around a Rams offense preparing for a highly unusual Week 1 trip. Both players have off-field matters under NFL review, and Nacua has also been working back from psoas soreness that interrupted his training camp.
McVay told reporters he had not heard anything that changed his expectation that both players would suit up. That is an important update, but it is not the same as a final league ruling. NFL.com reported that the reviews remain unresolved, meaning the league could still act later.
Nacua appears on track physically after the psoas issue
The football concern with Nacua has been separate from the league review. He left a joint practice with Dallas in August because of soreness in his psoas, and the Rams then managed his workload.
At the time, McVay described the approach as precautionary and said the team expected Nacua to return ready to go. The latest Week 1 expectation is consistent with that timeline.
For Los Angeles, that matters far beyond fantasy-football lineup questions. Nacua is the centerpiece of the passing game and one of the league’s most productive receivers. He is the kind of player who changes how San Francisco must distribute coverage, especially in a matchup where the Rams are also integrating a roster built aggressively for a championship run.
FSN recently detailed how Aaron Donald’s return raised the ceiling and the pressure on the 2026 Rams. Nacua’s availability affects the other side of that equation: Los Angeles needs its offensive stars intact if the team is going to justify the win-now investment surrounding Matthew Stafford.
Jackson’s availability is just as important to the offense
Jackson’s role can be easier to overlook because he does not touch the football. The Rams do not view it that way.
The veteran left tackle is a foundational piece of the offensive line and is listed among the nine linemen on the club’s initial 53-man roster. His job is especially important against San Francisco because Week 1 will immediately test Los Angeles’ pass protection in an international setting with a compressed routine and a divisional opponent.
Jackson also has a medical history the Rams have managed carefully. During camp, McVay said scheduled rest days were tied to medication management for the blood-clot issue Jackson has dealt with previously. The team’s public updates consistently described that maintenance as planned rather than a new football injury.
If Jackson is available as expected, the Rams avoid having to reshuffle the most important edge of the line right before kickoff.
The off-field reviews are still a separate issue
Nacua and Jackson have different off-field situations, and they should not be collapsed into one story simply because both are being reviewed by the league.
NFL.com reported that Nacua faces a civil lawsuit stemming from allegations related to a New Year’s Eve incident. Nacua has denied the allegations. Jackson was arrested in June on suspicion of domestic violence; his case later entered a pre-filing diversion process that could allow him to avoid criminal charges.
The NFL can review conduct independently of the outcome of a civil or criminal proceeding. As of McVay’s Sunday comments, he said he had not received information indicating either player would be unavailable for the opener.
That is the verified status entering the week: the Rams expect both to play, but the league review is not described as closed.
Why the timing matters in Melbourne
This is not a normal opening week. The Rams and 49ers will play the first regular-season NFL game in Australia, with kickoff Thursday night in the United States and Friday in Melbourne.
Travel, sleep adjustment, practice location and recovery all become variables. The fewer lineup surprises a team has to absorb after crossing the Pacific, the better.
McVay has also chosen a later travel schedule than some teams might use for a trip of this length, trusting the Rams’ preparation model rather than arriving far in advance. That makes known availability even more valuable. Coaches can build the game plan around the actual starting personnel instead of holding back contingency packages for players whose status is uncertain.
The Week 1 Rams offense is starting to look whole
For much of August, the Rams had several moving parts. Nacua was managing the psoas issue. Jackson had scheduled maintenance. Other offensive linemen were dealing with injuries. The roster itself continued to move, including the reacquisition of Tutu Atwell.
Now the opening lineup is becoming clearer. Nacua is expected to play. Jackson is expected to play. The team’s permanent Rams hub lists Los Angeles opening against San Francisco in the marquee Australia game, and that matchup immediately places the offense under a spotlight.
The presence of Nacua and Jackson does not eliminate every question. It does remove two of the biggest.
What comes next
The next checkpoints are the Rams’ official injury reports, any league communication regarding the personal-conduct reviews, and McVay’s final game-status updates as kickoff approaches.
Nacua’s practice participation will also be worth watching because the psoas issue is the football variable most likely to affect his workload even if he is active. For Jackson, the key is whether his normal maintenance schedule changes during the travel week.
For now, the Rams are planning as if both starters will be on the field. In a divisional opener on the other side of the world, that is a meaningful piece of clarity.