Rams receiver Puka Nacua has missed the last two games with a hip injury. He’s moving closer to a return.
“I’m taking it one day at a time, but I felt great being out there, full practice today for the first time,” Nacua told reporters on Thursday. “I’m getting my feet under me, hearing all the play calls. It’s not as foreign as it used to sound from Matthew Stafford, but he’s definitely in full flow and rhythm. It’s nice to be able to hear that play call in the huddle. I have to make sure I buckle my stuff up before so I can really focus on what he’s saying.”
Nacua said twice on Thursday that he fully participated in practice; officially, he was listed as limited.
He first noticed the problem a couple of weeks ago at practice.
“Just in some of the change of direction stuff, some of the stuff in my hip area just was not feeling great,” Nacua said. “It was causing me some pain and some restriction in some of my movements. I was trying to grind through it, but definitely some sharp pains that I started to feel that put me down.”
Now, he’s able to do what he used to do.
“One hundred percent,” Nacua said. “I’ve been working through it like getting acceleration, change of direction. Today being a full participant in practice, I was definitely able to work through some of the rustiness.”
It’s been described by the Rams as a hip problem. It’s been referred to elsewhere as a groin injury. It’s basically both.
“The hip area, this right side on the front side of the hip and groin,” Nacua said. “I was feeling it really in that hip. Then with all the connection, understanding . . . everything in this hip area being tied down to all parts of everything, core and change of direction and things like that so really on the right hip-groin area.”
Whatever the specific problem, it seems to be resolving itself. And the Rams could use the boost that would come from Nacua’s presence on the field on Sunday at the Eagles.
