As it turns out, Puka Nacua did not need an extended ramp-up period to return from his knee injury. The Rams will have him ready to go for tonight’s Vikings matchup.
Los Angeles is officially activating Nacua from IR, a move that will come just two days after his return designation. The second-year player has missed most of this season, but just as Cooper Kupp returns, the younger of the Rams’ two receiver standouts will be back as well.
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Nacua is unlikely to see a full workload, and ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter stops short of confirming he will play tonight. It would certainly be unusual for a team to take the step of activating a player for a Thursday-night game only to determine he is not ready. The Rams plan to play Nacua, per Schefter, and will determine how much he will be used based on pregame warmups.
The Rams have played most of this season without Kupp and Nacua, the latter of which suffering a PCL sprain — an aggravation of a knee injury sustained in training camp. This has been a key driver of the Rams’ 2-4 start.
Nacua was perhaps the central difference-maker in the Rams going from a retooling squad to a wild-card entrant in 2023, setting the rookie record for receiving yardage (1,486). Nacua played in all 17 games as a rookie and helped the Rams put the Lions on the ropes in Round 1. As this year’s Rams squad clings to hopes of returning to the playoffs, and interesting all-hands-on-deck opportunity emerges thanks to some timely injury returns.
Missing much of camp, Nacua returned from the knee issue in time for Week 1. He only made it through 25 snaps in the Lions rematch, leaving the game after catching one pass for four yards. As Kupp trade rumors circulate, Nacua’s performance tonight — against a 5-1 Vikings team — may determine how eager the Rams are to part with the former All-Pro. The Rams dropping to 2-5 would make them a more logical seller, putting Matthew Stafford in limbo — from a long-term perspective, at least — as well. The Kupp-Nacua tandem can aim to prevent this reality from taking shape with an upset tonight.
Tutu Atwell leads the Rams with 332 receiving yards, with rookie Jordan Whittington checking in with 201 and Demarcus Robinson with 198. Moving this trio down the depth chart will benefit Sean McVay‘s team, though part-time Nacua usage would keep some of the tertiary targets as regulars.
Kupp is coming off of his latest ankle injury, one that has seen him sidelined since Week 2. He was a full practice participant this week. He and Nacua played 11 games together last season, combining for eight 100-yard outings in that time. The Rams will hope their returns spark an offense still missing multiple starting O-linemen. Steve Avila, Jonah Jackson and Joe Noteboom remain on IR, joining safety John Johnson. As was the case in 2022, the Rams are running short on injury activations. They are down to four with 10 games to go, though it is understandable the team is taking a short-term approach here given its sluggish start.
Moved him to my starting fantasy line up….. May limit his snap count, CBSSports says, so back to the bench he goes. Oofff