Los Angeles Rams star wide receiver Puka Nacua left Tuesday’s practice early, walking off the field with athletic trainer Reggie Scott before ending his day. While head coach Sean McVay told reporters afterward that he didn’t have an immediate update, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport offered some clarity, if not full resolution.
According to Rapoport, Nacua is dealing with minor soreness in his groin that doesn’t appear to be serious.
Still, any absence involving Nacua draws scrutiny given his track record. He suffered a significant right-knee injury that was later aggravated in the season opener in 2025, resulting in a PCL sprain and five games on injured reserve. In 2025, an ankle sprain against Baltimore briefly slowed him again, though he missed just one game before closing out a career year. Nacua is known for his aggressive play style, too, which sometimes leads to lots of bumps and bruises throughout the year.
Nevertheless, the Rams can ill afford to lose Nacua at any point in the year. In 2025, Nacua was one of the league’s most productive pass-catchers. He finished with an NFL-best 129 receptions for 1,715 yards and 10 touchdowns, pushing his three-year totals to 313 catches, 4,191 yards and 19 scores across 44 games.
The timing adds another layer of intrigue. Nacua is playing out the final year of his rookie deal, carrying a 2026 base salary of roughly $5.8 million, with an extension widely expected once the season wraps or if the Rams opt not to use the franchise tag. Any injury news, however minor, inevitably gets read through that financial lens.
For now, the Rams appear unconcerned. Matthew Stafford added that no one sounded worried when it happened, so he believed Nacua’s injury was minor as well. Rapoport’s report suggests this is precautionary rather than a setback, and there’s been no indication Nacua will miss meaningful practice time beyond Tuesday.
McVay and the training staff will presumably provide more clarity as the week progresses, but until then, the expectation is that this is a blip rather than the start of another camp saga for Nacua and the Rams’ passing attack.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Puka Nacua injury: Rams star reportedly dealing with ‘minor’ groin soreness
Reporting by Oliver G., Rams Wire / Rams Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Oliver G., Rams Wire | USA TODAY Network
