Add The California Post on Google Puka Nacua was a full participant at Rams practice on Thursday. Twenty-four hours later, he was nowhere to be found on the field.
Now the Rams have another injury mystery surrounding their star wide receiver.
Nacua did not practice Friday and was officially listed as a non-participant with a hip injury, an unexpected development three days before the Rams host the Giants on “Monday Night Football” at SoFi Stadium.
The sudden appearance on the injury report was particularly curious because there had been little indication something was wrong.
Nacua practiced in full Thursday and was scheduled to speak with reporters following Friday’s session. But when the Rams took the field, No. 12 was noticeably absent. He later appeared in the locker room, only for Los Angeles to release its injury report minutes later with Nacua listed as “Did not participate.”
The Rams did not immediately provide further details on the injury or when it occurred.
The question now is could this injury be connected to Nacua’s previous psoas, core/lower back injury suffered during the joint practice against the Cowboys or is this something new entirely?
The Rams wide receiver missed most of the preseason while dealing with groin and psoas issues, both the same injury affecting his lower back/core area. The psoas is a deep muscle connecting the lower spine to the hip and femur, making Friday’s “hip” designation notable, though there is no indication the injuries are related.
For now, the Rams can only hope Friday was precautionary.
Nacua is coming off a five-catch, 74-yard performance in Week 1 against the 49ers in Melbourne, Australia.
Making matters worse, Nacua’s listed backup, Jordan Whittington, also missed Friday’s practice with a quadriceps injury.
The good news is the Rams have an extra day because of Monday night’s kickoff. The bad news is their receiving room suddenly has two question marks where there weren’t any on Thursday.
More information is expected to come on Saturday ahead of their 5:15 p.m. kickoff against the Giants on “Monday Night Football.”
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