Getty Images

Indications from Rams head coach Sean McVay on Tuesday were that wide receiver/kick returner Pharoh Cooper would be headed to injured reserve due to an ankle injury and those indications were confirmed on Tuesday.

The Rams announced that Cooper has been placed on IR. He will be eligible to be one of two players designated for return later in the season and that could be in the cards based on McVay’s Tuesday comments.

Cooper was named a first-team All-Pro and was selected to the Pro Bowl as a kick returner last season, so his loss is a blow to the special teams in Los Angeles. His injury comes at a moment when No. 2 returner Mike Thomas is also hurting, so the Rams filled Cooper’s roster spot with another return specialist.

They signed JoJo Natson, who spent the preseason returning kicks for the team. Natson played seven games for the Jets last year before averaging 24.4 yards per kickoff return and 11.1 yards per punt return this summer.