Rams’ Wide Receiver Puka Nacua, Who Was On Injured Reserve Due To A Knee Injury, Is Back To Practicing With A 21-Day Timeframe For His Return.

An important step was achieved on Tuesday in Puka Nacua’s journey back to the field.

Nacua participated in his first practice with the Los Angeles Rams on Tuesday after being forced out of the team’s Week 1 defeat to the Detroit Lions due to a knee injury.

Even though Nacua is still on injured reserve, his return to practice was not only a positive indication, but it also allowed him to begin his 21-day practice period.

This indicates that the Rams have a three-week timeframe to either promote him to the active roster or put him on the season-ending injury list.

Similarly, Nacua has a three-week window to train before a determination is reached regarding his eligibility for the remainder of the season.

The injury has led to a underwhelming second season for Nacua, who had high hopes following an impressive 2023 rookie year where he transformed from a fifth-round pick by the Rams to a standout rookie, setting new NFL rookie records for receptions and receiving yards.

Nacua injured his knee in training camp and worsened it against the Lions, leading to him being placed on injured reserve due to a PCL sprain.

Being placed on Injured Reserve results in the player being unable to participate in games for the following four weeks, despite initial expectations that Nacua would probably be out for 5-7 weeks.

There are expectations for Cooper Kupp to come back from injury this Thursday night, and the other half of the Los Angeles Rams’ versatile wide receiver pair could also be back soon.

Puka Nacua, who has only played 25 snaps in 2024 due to a knee injury, began his 21-day practice period allowed by the team, marking his return from injured reserve and participated in a limited practice on Tuesday.

Nacua had been struggling with a knee problem during training camp and the preseason, but worsened the injury in the middle of the second quarter of the Rams’ Week 1 overtime defeat against the Lions. The wide receiver in his second year caught four passes for 35 yards before leaving the game prematurely.

After Nacua was placed on injured reserve, the Rams’ offensive struggles continued when Kupp hurt his ankle in Week 2. The Rams’ traditionally powerful offense has faced challenges without the Kupp-Nacua duo, scoring only 19.0 points and averaging 212.8 passing yards per game in their 2-4 season by Week 8.

The offense led by head coach Sean McVay is expected to receive a boost with the return of Kupp for Thursday night’s game against the Minnesota Vikings. Nacua has officially begun the process of re-joining his team, potentially saving the sequel to his remarkable rookie season.