Concern surrounding Puka Nacua mounted on Tuesday during the Los Angeles Rams’ joint practice with the Dallas Cowboys.
Trainers attended to Nacua midway through the session, resulting in the Rams wide receiver leaving the practice field at Warner Center in Woodland Hills, Calif. The reason for Nacua’s exit was initially not known to head coach Sean McVay, who told reporters that “something happened” but was unsure of the severity.
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford eased some fans’ concerns by assessing that it was likely nothing “too major.”
“I’m not really sure what the issue was, but nobody ran up to me in a panic,” Stafford said of Nacua’s injury. “So I don’t think it was anything too major.”
Stafford turned out to be right. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport later reported that Nacua was dealing with minor groin soreness and that the Rams’ training staff was only being cautious by taking him off the field.
#Rams WR Puka Nacua, who left practice while walking with a trainer, is dealing with minor soreness in his groin, I'm told. The team is just being cautious.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 11, 2026
The Rams are taking the same approach with superstar acquisition Myles Garrett, who missed Tuesday’s joint practice with knee soreness. Garrett has sat out at least four Rams practices dealing with the same injury.
The Rams are the clear favorites to win the Super Bowl next season, particularly if Aaron Donald decides to put on a horned helmet again. Injuries may very well be the team’s biggest threat to reaching the Super Bowl.
