Coming off a historic rookie campaign, all eyes will be on Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua this season to see how he follows it up.
Nacua came out of nowhere in 2023 to set the rookie records for both receptions and receiving yards for the Rams. The team’s wide receiving corps is as strong as ever going into 2024 though with Cooper Kupp healthy and Demarcus Robinson continuing to emerge, which should help take the pressure of Nacua.
After working out with Kupp all offseason, Nacua reported to training camp in the best shape of his life. That doesn’t mean he is invincible, however, as he went down with a knee injury during the Rams’ joint practice with the L.A. Chargers on Sunday.
While that is obviously not ideal for the Rams, the knee injury does not appear to be serious, per Adam Schefter of ESPN:
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua is considered week-to-week after sustaining a knee injury Sunday, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Monday.
One source, however, described Nacua’s injury as “not serious.”
The Rams reported to training camp a little over a week ago and the injuries already seem to be piling up. First, cornerback Derion Kendrick went down with a torn ACL and will miss the entire 2024 season.
Then, the Rams lost some other key players to similar injuries to Nacua where they’re not serious but are considered week-to-week. That includes three starting offensive linemen in Jonah Jackson, Alaric Jackson and Rob Havenstein as well as starting cornerback Darious Williams.
The good news is that the Rams have another month before the start of the season, taking on the Detroit Lions in Week 1 on Sept. 8. Head coach Sean McVay typically doesn’t play starters in the preseason regardless, so all of these injured players like Nacua can use the coming weeks to get back to 100% health in order to be ready for Week 1.
If Nacua is forced to miss time in the regular season though then Kupp, Robinson, Tutu Atwell and Tyler Johnson should all see increased roles in the Rams offense.
Puka Nacua ranked 33rd on NFL Top 100 list
Rams receiver Puka Nacua was recently recognized for his outstanding rookie campaign, being ranked 33rd on the annual NFL Top 11 list voted on by the players.
Nacua was the highest-ranked Rams player, so getting him healthy before Week 1 is certainly a priority for the organization.
