Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua has missed the last two games with a hamstring injury. He is nearing a comeback.
“I’m taking it one day at a time, but it felt good to be out there, full practice today for the first time,” Nacua told reporters Thursday. “I’m getting my feet under me, listening to all the play calls. It’s not as foreign as it sounded before 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 tighten my stuff up front so I can really focus on what he’s saying.”
Nacua said twice Thursday that he participated fully in practice; officially, he was listed as limited.
He first noticed the problem a few weeks ago in practice.
“Just in some of the change of direction stuff, some of the stuff in the hip area wasn’t feeling right,” Nacua said. “It was causing me some pain and some limitations in some of my movements. I was trying to get through it, but definitely some sharp pains that I started feeling that brought me down.”
Now, he is able to do what he used to do before.
“One hundred percent,” Nacua said. “I’ve been working on it like the acceleration, the change of direction. Today being a full participant in practice, I was definitely able to deal with some of the rust.”
It has been described by the Rams as a hip problem. It has been mentioned elsewhere as a groin injury. Basically it is both.
“The hip area, this right side on the front side of the hip and groin,” Nacua said. “I was really feeling it in that hip. Then with all the connection, realizing … everything in this hip area is connected to all the parts of everything, the essence and the change of direction and things like that actually in the right hip area.”
Whatever the specific problem is, it seems to be resolving itself. And the Rams could use the boost that would come from having Nacua on the court Sunday at the Eagles.
