Puka Nacua opens up about ‘sharp pains’ from injury; Aaron Donald concern grows

Puka Nacua is back on the practice field and expected to play on Sunday against the Eagles in Philadelphia. Now, for the first time in three weeks, the Rams wide receiver is also filling in the blanks about the injury that has sidelined him for the team’s last two games. 

Nacua practiced for the second consecutive day Thursday, another encouraging step toward his return.

The Rams officially listed Nacua as a limited participant Thursday. Nacua had a slightly different interpretation.

He told reporters he was a full participant.

“Today being a full participant in practice, I was definitely able to work through some of the rustiness,” Nacua said.

Whatever label gets slapped on the injury report, the more important development is that Nacua is moving again after spending the past two Sundays watching the Rams play without him. He missed Los Angeles’ 28-6 victory over the Giants and last week’s 30-26 loss to the Broncos after aggravating an injury that Nacua described Thursday as being in his “hip area.”

Nacua said the issue created “some restriction” in his movement, something he initially tried to push through before his body finally won the argument.

“In some of the change-of-direction stuff, some of the stuff in my hip area just was not feeling great. It was causing me some pain and some restriction in some of my movements,” Nacua said. “I was trying to grind through it, but definitely some sharp pains that I started to feel that put me down.”

Nacua dealt with a similar injury in roughly the same neighborhood during training camp. He left a scrimmage with the Saints on Aug. 20 and missed a couple weeks before returning to play in the team’s opener against the 49ers in Australia. 

The earlier injury was diagnosed as a psoas injury, but Nacua said the latest injury was in a “very similar area.” However, he stressed it was triggered by “a different movement that I had felt that pain on. In the same area, though.”

In other words, same ZIP code, different address.

Now the Rams are trying to make sure Nacua doesn’t wind up back on the injury report. 

His consecutive limited practices are encouraging, especially after coach Sean McVay said Wednesday that he expects Nacua to play against Philadelphia. How Nacua responds to the increased workload over the next couple of days will be worth watching before the Rams board their flight Saturday.

“I thought he looked good,” said Rams offensive coordinator Nate Scheelhaase on how Nacua looked in practice. “On the first rep of individual work [wide receivers coach] Rob Calabrese threw him a ball behind him and he had to pirouette to go and make the play. It obviously progressed him along, took the right amount of reps, but I was encouraged by where he was at.”

Nacua wouldn’t guarantee he’d be on the field on Sunday at the Linc, but said if he is cleared to play he won’t be able to wipe the smile off his face.

“I’m taking it one day at a time, but I felt great being out there, I’m getting my feet under me, hearing all the play calls,” Nacua said. “I can’t think of anything else but smiling. The relaxation, the full exhale. It’s my son’s birth month, so I think that will be a good little present for him to be able to get back out there on the field. Also, just to be out there with the guys. To earn and rebuild that trust with them and then go out there and finally hit somebody new.”

Nacua isn’t the only Rams star whose practice status bears watching.

Aaron Donald missed practice for the second straight day Thursday because of back soreness after also sitting out Wednesday.

That becomes particularly noteworthy considering where Donald is physically in his comeback. The 35-year-old is still working himself back into football condition after spending more than 2 ½ years away from the NFL during his brief retirement, and Sunday’s game in Philadelphia would be only his third since returning.

Friday ordinarily serves as Donald’s veteran rest day. But after consecutive days on the sideline because of the back issue, his participation — or lack thereof — in the Rams’ final practice of the week suddenly carries more significance.

Los Angeles has been careful with Donald since his return, understanding that there is no shortcut for replacing more than two years of lost football conditioning, even when the player doing the catching up is one of the greatest defensive linemen the sport has ever seen.

McVay is expected to speak with reporters on Friday and give an update on Nacua’s and Donald’s availability for Sunday’s contest in Philadelphia.

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