Rams receiver Puka Nacua leaves practice with calf injury
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua left practice early with a calf injury and was listed as limited.
His Week 7 status is in doubt with Davante Adams already out.
Background
Puka Nacua is a Los Angeles Rams wide receiver, No. 12, who led the NFL in receptions last season. The Rams opened the season as the Super Bowl favorite but are 2-4 heading into Sunday's game against the Raiders in Las Vegas, and they lost fellow wide receiver Davante Adams to a hamstring injury expected to sideline him six to 10 weeks. Nacua missed two games earlier this season with a hip injury but had played the last three, including a career-best 17-catch, 138-yard game in Week 5.
How it unfolded
- Oct 15, 2026Nacua caught a team-high 17 of 24 targets for 138 yards and a touchdown in Week 5, a single-game career high in receptions.
- Oct 18, 2026The Rams lost 18-16 to the Arizona Cardinals at SoFi Stadium, and Davante Adams suffered a hamstring injury in the defeat.
- Oct 19, 2026Nacua said the Rams remain united after the loss, calling them "still a connected group."
- Oct 21, 2026NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told The California Post that Nacua and left tackle Alaric Jackson remain under league review for off-field incidents, with no timeline for a decision.
- Oct 22, 2026Nacua left practice early with a calf injury and was listed as a limited participant, putting his status for Sunday's Week 7 game against the Raiders in question.
Who’s saying what
- Analysts
- ESPN reporter Dan Graziano said the Rams will "at least explore the possibility of trading for a wide receiver" after Adams' hamstring injury.
- Official
- Rams head coach Sean McVay said Adams will be sidelined six to 10 weeks and that the team hasn't talked about making a move at wide receiver.
- Party
- Nacua said the Rams are "still a connected group," with no pointing or arguing after the loss.
Still unverified
Nacua faces a civil lawsuit filed by Madison Atiabi, who alleges he bit her shoulder and made an antisemitic remark during a New Year's Eve outing; Nacua's attorney, Levi McCathern, denied the alleged antisemitic remark and characterized the biting as "horseplay." Some have speculated the verbiage used to describe an earlier Nacua groin injury sounded like a sports hernia, which the report calls pure speculation; the severity of the calf injury is not clear.