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Los Angeles Rams star wide receiver Puka Nacua will not return to the team’s Week 1 matchup with the Detroit Lions on Sunday due to a knee injury, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Nacua sustained the injury in the second quarter and was originally listed as questionable to return. He briefly came back onto the field before exiting once again, with Jordan Rodrigue of The Athletic reporting that he was sitting with the team’s medical staff on the bench.
Before he was declared out, Nacua caught all four of his targets for 35 yards.
The 23-year-old previously suffered a knee injury during a joint practice with the Los Angeles Chargers on Aug. 5, causing him to miss several weeks of training camp as well as the Rams’ three preseason contests. He was eventually able to return to practice on Aug. 26.
Nacua was listed as a full participant in practice during each day leading up to Sunday night’s game and wasn’t in danger of missing the contest due to the prior knee issue.
The Rams will be hoping that his injury isn’t too serious, as the former fifth-round pick is coming off a record-breaking rookie season. Nacua racked up 105 catches for 1,486 yards in 2023, with both marks representing the highest single-season totals by any first-year player in NFL history. He also recorded six touchdown grabs.
If he’s unable to return in time for Week 2, Cooper Kupp should continue to operate as Matthew Stafford’s No. 1 target and could receive an even larger workload. Tyler Johnson, Demarcus Robinson and Tutu Atwell are all candidates for expanded roles.
Nacua’s status moving forward is currently unknown, although he’s in danger of missing a game for the first time in his NFL career against the Arizona Cardinals on Sept. 15.