Puka Nacua ramps up at Rams practice after psoas injury as NFL review continues before Week 1
LOS ANGELES — Puka Nacua Rams practice on Monday was off to the side, not in team drills. Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua returned to practice Sunday, Aug. 30, after a psoas and groin injury. On Monday, Aug. 31, he worked off to the side and was not in team drills. The NFL is still reviewing an off-field case. Nacua was not placed on the commissioner’s exempt list at the Aug. 30 roster cutdown.
The Rams open Week 1 against the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday, Sept. 10, in Melbourne, Australia. League review of Nacua’s off-field matter is ongoing. This report does not say he has been suspended, cleared, found guilty, or ruled out for Week 1.
What Puka Nacua Rams practice looked like Sunday and Monday
Nacua had been dealing with psoas soreness in August. The psoas is a deep hip-flexor muscle. NBC Sports said he worked off to the side or missed Rams practices for most of the month. He returned to Puka Nacua Rams practice Sunday.
CBS Sports, citing Sarah Barshop of ESPN, reported that Nacua (groin) was practicing Sunday. He had left a joint practice with the Dallas Cowboys on Aug. 11 and was later diagnosed with psoas soreness. That was almost three weeks before the Sunday return.
On Monday he was not in team drills. CBS Sports, citing Nate Atkins of The Athletic, said Nacua was off to the side at Monday’s practice. The note described a slow ramp-up with 10 days still remaining before the Melbourne opener.
That sequence is the on-field news: back at practice Sunday, limited Monday, still working through a soft-tissue injury. It is not a Week 1 inactive list. The Rams have not announced that the injury will keep him out of the 49ers game.
Not on the commissioner’s exempt list at cutdown
Sunday was also the NFL’s 53-man roster cutdown. Several players around the league were placed on the commissioner’s exempt list. That designation is paid leave. Players on it may attend meetings, workouts, and treatment, but they cannot take part in team practices, Rams Wire explained.
Packers running back Josh Jacobs and Broncos edge rusher Jonathon Cooper were among those placed on the list, according to Rams Wire and NBC Sports. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Nacua and Rams tackle Alaric Jackson would not be placed on the list before the cutdown deadline, while the league continued to examine their situations.
NBC Sports’ Mike Florio wrote that no further players would be placed on the commissioner exempt list that day. That meant Nacua was not going on paid leave, at least for then. Rams Wire noted that he and Jackson would count against the 53-man roster. Both remained eligible to be added later or to be suspended. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is the only person who can add a player to the exempt list, Rams Wire said.
Still eligible for later league action
Avoiding the list on Aug. 30 is not the same as being cleared. It is not a suspension either. It is a roster fact as of cutdown day.
The off-field case, stated as allegations
The NFL is still reviewing Nacua’s off-field case. Florio reported that Nacua has been sued for biting a woman on New Year’s Eve. Reporting on the matter has included reference to a possible diversion program. Florio wrote that such a program would trigger automatic review under the Personal Conduct Policy.
Those are allegations in a civil case. They are not court findings. This article does not treat them as proven facts. US Local Now’s editorial policy requires that distinction.
Jackson’s separate legal matter was also under review, according to the same reports. He was not placed on the exempt list at cutdown either. His case is not a finding against Nacua.
No league announcement has said Nacua is suspended. No announcement has said he is cleared. No announcement has said he will miss Week 1.
Week 1 in Melbourne is still on the calendar
The Rams’ season opener is Thursday, Sept. 10, against the 49ers in Melbourne. CBS Sports said the club was likely aiming for Nacua to be available, based on the injury timeline. NBC Sports said he should not be in danger of missing regular-season time due to the psoas issue.
Those comments speak to the injury, not to the NFL review. The league process is separate. Schefter has reported that discipline remains possible while the review continues. As of this writing, no ruling has been announced.
The Puka Nacua Rams practice ramp-up and the league’s open file can both be true at once. He was back on the field Sunday. He was off to the side Monday. He was not on the commissioner’s exempt list at the Aug. 30 cutdown. The off-field review is not finished.
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