Rams make decision on whether Jordan Whittington and Joe Noteboom will play in Week 7

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay said Friday he expects wide receiver Jordan Whittington to play Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders. McVay noted that the Rams had not activated offensive lineman Joe Noteboom outside of the injured reserve practice window, via Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic.

Whittington injured his shoulder during the Rams’ 24-19 loss in Week 5 to the Green Bay Packers, but has not missed a game since the Rams’ bye the following week. Despite injuring his shoulder, Whittington was still the Rams’ leading receiver in that game with seven receptions for 89 yards.

Whittington has caught 18 passes for 201 yards so far this season, although he is still waiting for his first NFL touchdown. Whittington is second on the Rams in both receptions and receiving yards and has taken on a larger role in the offense over the last two games. Due in part to injuries to wide receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, Whittington has caught at least six passes in each of the last two games.

The Rams drafted Whittington in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft out of Texas and is the latest late-round pick to quickly make an impact for the Rams. Last season, Nacua was the team’s top receiver from the start after being selected in the fifth round by the Rams. While Whittington has by no means become the team’s No. 1 outfielder, he has seen his role increase in recent weeks and should continue to have a big impact with Kupp and Nacua still dealing with injuries.

McVay called Kupp, who has missed the last three games because of an ankle injury he suffered in Week 2, questionable for Sunday’s game.

The Rams won’t have Noteboom back this week. The Rams opened Noteboom’s practice window this week after he missed the last four games with an ankle injury, but have not officially cleared him to play. Noteboom participated in limited practice on Wednesday and Thursday and will not play against the Raiders on Sunday.

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