The Los Angeles Rams face a significant challenge at wide receiver after deciding star Puka Nacua is likely headed to injured reserve, sidelining him for at least four games. Head coach Sean McVay said Monday that the team will “explore all avenues” as it considers how to address Nacua’s absence and keep its offense productive.
Nacua is likely headed to injured reserve, McVay told reporters Monday, sidelining the All-Pro receiver for at least four games.
With Davante Adams already on injured reserve and the trade deadline arriving Tuesday, the Rams have one day to decide whether help is coming from outside.
McVay revealed that Nacua suffered sprains of both the MCL and PCL in his knee, plus turf toe, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. The diagnosis appears serious enough to keep him out for multiple weeks, possibly beyond the injured reserve designation, which guarantees a minimum of four. The Rams’ main fear was that Nacua’s ACL was damaged, but as of Monday afternoon it is believed to be intact.
Los Angeles Rams’ Puka Nacua Injury Recap
The injury came on the Rams’ final offensive snap of Sunday’s 20-13 win over the Washington Commanders. Nacua took a third-down carry, gained 5 yards and went to the turf after a hard hit from safety Jeremy Reaves. He lay there briefly, then walked off.
Sunday night, Garafolo and ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Rams did not believe the ACL was torn. The MRI on Monday supplied the fuller picture.
Nacua caught 14 of 19 targets for 150 yards and a touchdown, and added two carries for 20 yards.
His leaping 7-yard touchdown in the corner of the end zone broke a 13-13 tie early in the fourth quarter and stood as the winning score, the Rams’ third straight victory and one that lifted them to 5-4.
“He was awesome,” McVay said of Nacua after the 20-13 win, according to KSL Radio.
McVay made that assessment before the knee became a talking point.
The loss of Nacua leaves Los Angeles thin at receiver. Adams underwent surgery on his left hamstring and is expected to miss multiple weeks.
McVay had previously ruled out a trade deadline move, but the Rams will now “explore all avenues” as they work out how to move forward without Nacua, according to reporter Adam Grosbard.
“Our players feel for each other because they care about one another,” McVay said, as quoted by California Post reporter Michael J. Duarte. “They are building skills where they are finding ways to improve. They are all just taking it a day at a time.”
His comments referred to a locker room absorbing injuries to Nacua, Adams and other key players.
Puka Nacua’s Injury History With the Los Angeles Rams
This is not the first time a knee has sidelined Nacua. He hurt his knee in 2024 during a joint practice against the Chargers on Aug. 4, then aggravated the injury against the Detroit Lions in Week 1, suffering a PCL sprain.
The Rams placed him on injured reserve that Wednesday, a setback for a receiver who had broken the NFL rookie records for catches and receiving yards the season before. He sat out five games before returning in Week 8.
Soft-tissue and lower-body problems have followed him since his 2023 rookie season, including an oblique, shoulder and hip complaints and a 2025 ankle sprain that cost him one game in Week 7.
This season began with a core muscle injury picked up at a joint practice with the Dallas Cowboys. He played Week 1, missed Weeks 2 and 3, and returned in Week 4 at Philadelphia. A calf problem then made him a game-time decision against the Raiders in Week 7, but he played that game.
His 2024 PCL sprain was in his right knee, and the newest injury is also a right knee sprain.
McVay: Rams Will ‘Explore All Avenues’ After Grim Puka Nacua Injury Decision