LOS ANGELES — The Rams opened the 21-day practice window for second-year star receiver Puka Nacua on Tuesday.
That practice was only a walk-through because the Rams are preparing to host the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday Night Football, but Nacua’s estimated participation in a full practice would have come with a limited designation, the team said.
Nacua has been on injured reserve since the Rams’ season opener at Detroit after he re-aggravated a knee injury suffered during training camp this summer. During a breakout rookie season, he broke the previous 63-year-old rookie receiving record with 1,486 yards, which also ranked No. 4 among all receivers in 2023.
He initially hurt his knee during a joint training camp practice with the Los Angeles Chargers, at the time a result of landing on a bursa sac according to head coach Sean McVay.
Nacua, who McVay said did not require any sort of procedure, has been rehabbing his knee since exiting the Detroit game in the first half. Tuesday, returned to the huddle for the first time albeit in a walk-through setting.
“I think it’s just great for him to be kind of back around in a huddle, hearing calls,” quarterback Matthew Stafford said. “Walking around, doing all that kind of stuff. I know we have missed him as a player and I think he has missed the game a little bit, and his rehab is so time-consuming and takes away from his time with us. So it’s great to have him back around.”
Stafford said he and other teammates have made it a point to check in on Nacua, who battled a couple of injuries in college but missed his first significant amount of time with this knee injury.
“That’s one of the biggest challenges with having an injury that isn’t something that’s one week or something, is there (are) times when you can feel like ‘man, you’re not a part of what is going on sometimes,’ ” Stafford said. “I’ve been there, I was there in 2022 toward the back half of that season (Stafford had suffered a spinal cord contusion), and it’s a tough feeling.
“So you just try to check on him as much as you can. We’re all a supportive group around here, we all care for each other a bunch. I’m checking on all of those guys as much as I can just to make sure that they know I’m thinking about them. At some point or another they’re going to be important to our team.”
McVay did not speak with media Tuesday (the truncated week makes it a “Thursday” in a regular week, and that day is designated for coordinators). But offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur said his status ahead of Thursday night’s game is “way” to be determined and he noted that Nacua has not played any football at full speed in a long time.
“Haven’t seen him out on the field since that Detroit (game) Sunday night, so just to have him at least standing by us and designated to return, (it’s a) pretty good deal,” LaFleur said.
(Photo: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)
