Los Angeles Rams to keep EDGE Ogbonnia Okoronkwo on the Physically Unable to Perform list to start regular season?

Los Angeles Rams Head Coach Sean McVay suggested in his remarks to the media today that rookie EGDE Ogbonnia Okoronkwo could remain on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list heading into the regular season when asked if they were going to take him off the list:

I think right now, probably not. But nothing is finalized with that yet. He’s working hard with that rehab. I would say not anything that he can control, but I think just the way that the foot’s responded hasn’t been ideal. It doesn’t have anything to do with the way that he’s worked. He’s doing everything he can to control that. (Senior Director, Sports Medicine and Performance) Reggie and his staff, you guys know what a great job those guys do. We’ll continue to monitor ‘Obo’ (Okoronkwo) one day at a time.

As of right now, Okoronkwo is on the preseason version of the PUP which is known as the Active PUP. On Saturday at 4pm ET/1pm PT, all 32 NFL clubs will need to reduce their 90-man rosters to 53-man rosters. At the same deadline, they will be required to transfer anyone from the Active PUP (or the Active Non-Football Injury (NFI) list) to the Reserve version of the list for the regular season unless they waive the player, terminate his contract, trade him or move him to the active 53-man roster. Players placed on the Reserve PUP may not practice or play during the first six weeks of the season. After that, teams have five weeks to return the player to practice and then a 21-day window from their first practice to activate the player to the 53-man roster.

So for Okoronkwo, if he’s put on the regular season Reserve PUP, he won’t be available until the Rams’ Week 7 game on Sunday Night Football up north to reignite the Rams’ rivalry with the San Francisco 49ers at the earliest.

Obo broke his foot in organized team activities before training camp even got going. So no camp, no preseason. And now no regular season after at least a month and a half.

Since the Rams drafted him in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft with the 160th overall pick, Okoronkwo’s rookie season is not going according to plan...