Sean McVay said on Sunday that he does not foresee Puka Nacua being unavailable for the Los Angeles Rams' Week 1 game against the San Francisco 49ers in Australia. The Rams coach said he expects Nacua and Alaric Jackson to suit up, pushing back the immediate worry that had hung over both players as the opener approaches.
That matters now because Nacua has been dealing with psoas soreness during camp, and his status had become part injury report, part league-watch. McVay's answer was direct: "Yeah, absolutely," he said when asked if he expected Nacua to play. On whether he had heard anything that would change that view, he added, "That's what I've heard. I haven't heard anything different."
Nacua's availability has drawn attention for more than one reason. A civil lawsuit was filed against him in March by a woman who alleged that he made an antisemitic remark and bit her on the shoulder on New Year's Eve. Before being sued, Nacua voluntarily entered a holistic care facility to focus on his personal growth, then left in time to participate in the entirety of the Rams' offseason program. The on-field issue is simpler: the psoas soreness is a camp problem, not something McVay described as a reason to expect him out of Week 1.
The off-field question is less settled. Other players whose offseason legal situations were reviewed by the NFL were placed on the Commissioner's Exempt List on Aug. 30, which is why the possibility of discipline has been part of the conversation around Nacua and the Rams. McVay did not indicate that he had been told to prepare for a different outcome, but he also stopped short of ruling out a league decision before kickoff.
For now, the Rams are proceeding as if their top target will be there when Week 1 arrives. The remaining uncertainty is whether the NFL acts before the game and changes the picture McVay described on Sunday.
