LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks after aggravating a knee injury during practice this week.
The Seahawks have ruled out two key players for the matchup against the Rams.
Nacua initially injured his right knee during training camp and exacerbated the issue in the season opener against Detroit, which led to a five-game stint on injured reserve. He made his return last week in a victory over Minnesota, where he recorded seven receptions for 106 yards, but he was limited in practice on Thursday.
Rams coach Sean McVay stated that Nacua’s knee showed no structural damage following this recent issue, though he missed practice on Friday.
“The positive takeaway is that when recovering from an injury, sometimes the fear of re-injury can cause players to feel discomfort, possibly due to breaking up some scar tissue,” McVay explained. “Looking at the imaging, the results were quite promising structurally.”
Nacua played for the UW Huskies in 2019 and 2020 before transferring to BYU, where he became the Cougars’ leading receiver in 2021 and 2022. He was selected by the Rams in the fifth round of the 2023 draft and made a significant impact in his rookie season, catching 105 passes for 1,486 yards.
The Rams (3-4) have also ruled out punter Ethan Evans due to illness. Either Ty Zentner or Ryan Sanborn will be promoted from the practice squad to replace Evans in the game against the Seahawks (4-4).
In addition to punting, Evans serves as the holder for field goals and extra points, as well as managing kickoffs.
