Return from IR not guaranteed

Rams head coach Sean McVay acknowledged Monday during his appearance on the "Coach McVay Show" that he's hopeful Ferguson (hamstring/ankle) will return from injured reserve this season, but was unwilling to guarantee that the tight end will be activated by the time his 21-day evaluation window closes, Cameron DaSilva of USA Today reports. "I'm reluctant to get too far ahead of anything, just because -- but yes, that is something we'd want to avoid if he's not prepared," McVay said, regarding the possibility of Ferguson being shut down.

After missing five consecutive games while recovering from an ankle sprain, Ferguson appeared poised to return from IR ahead of this past Sunday's game against the Commanders, but his activation was delayed after he pulled his hamstring while running a route during Friday's practice. McVay said after the practice that the setback would likely keep Ferguson out for "a couple more weeks." Ferguson's 21-day window will come to a close Nov. 25, so even if he doesn't resume practicing before then, he'll likely need to show the Rams that he's made at least some progress in his recovery from the hamstring injury to get activated. McVay said that he would be open to adding Ferguson back to the 53-man roster before he's ready to play, but the Rams may not be keen on essentially playing a man down for more than a game or two.