After some back and forth, the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday opted to place star wide receiver Puka Nacua on injured reserve.
Rams coach Sean McVay said Monday that Nacua was a likely candidate for IR to recover from MCL and PCL sprains as well as a turf toe injury. But on Wednesday, McVay said roster “semantics” would enable the Rams to keep Nacua on the active roster. Teams are only allowed to designate eight players to return from IR in a season.
But Los Angeles changed course Thursday, which means Nacua must miss a minimum of four games before he can return. After this week’s game at the Arizona Cardinals and the Rams’ Week 11 bye, Nacua will be unavailable for marquee games against the Green Bay Packers (Nov. 25), Kansas City Chiefs (Dec. 3) and San Francisco 49ers (Dec. 13).
The earliest he can return is Week 15 against the Dallas Cowboys.
Nacua suffered the injuries on the Rams’ final offensive snap during Sunday’s 20-13 victory over the Washington Commanders. He caught 14 passes for 150 yards and a touchdown and added 20 yards on two rushing attempts. He underwent an MRI on Monday to determine the extent of the knee injury.
Nacua has caught 70 passes on 93 targets this season. He ranks seventh among NFL receivers with 715 yards despite playing in just seven games. He has four touchdowns.