Puka Nacua left Los Angeles Rams practice this week with a calf injury and is listed as questionable for Week 7, with Davante Adams already on injured reserve and the 2-4 Rams potentially without their two most prominent wide receivers.
Nacua’s injury is only part of the story surrounding him this season as off-field controversies have followed him since late last year. Fox Sports analyst Colin Cowherd addressed both Nacua’s talent and his track record on Friday, alleging that the Rams have also dealt with issues involving their top receiver behind the scenes.
Colin Cowherd Points to Puka Nacua’s Struggles on and off the Field
Nacua’s off-field situation has drawn scrutiny since December 2025, when he appeared on a livestream and made an antisemitic gesture, though he later apologized.
On March 25, 2026, Madison Atiabi filed a civil lawsuit over an alleged New Year’s Eve incident involving Nacua. Atiabi alleged that Nacua made an antisemitic comment during a group dinner and later bit her shoulder while they were in a van. Nacua denied the allegations, and his attorney called the suit blackmail.
Nacua voluntarily entered a rehabilitation facility in early March 2026. In a September interview, he later acknowledged using alcohol to avoid dealing with the stress of NFL stardom and becoming a father.
His ex-partner Hallie Aiono went public with separate abuse allegations as the NFL continued reviewing Nacua’s conduct.
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The civil lawsuit remains ongoing, with a March 2028 trial date set if mediation fails. Separately, a potential misdemeanor matter being handled through the Los Angeles City Attorney’s pre-filing diversion process could remain open through Dec. 31, 2026
During Friday’s episode of “The Herd with Colin Cowherd,” Cowherd acknowledged Nacua’s ability on the field while alleging that the Rams have had to manage problems involving their star receiver behind the scenes.
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“Rams star receiver [Puka Nacua] leaves practice with a calf injury. He’s a remarkable talent. He’s also very immature. They’ve been putting out fires behind the scenes for three years. You’ve read about some of them, and he gets hurt pretty regularly,” Cowherd said.
He explained it as the kind of problem that tests a front office as much as a coaching staff: “This is when GMing is really hard, because he’s an unbelievable talent.”
Nacua has been the main option in Los Angeles’ passing game through a run of results that has left the Rams below where they expected to be.
He put up five catches for 74 yards in a Week 1 loss to San Francisco before missing the Rams’ Week 2 win over the New York Giants with a hip injury. He was then inactive for Week 3 against the Denver Broncos with the same hip injury.
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The star WR came back with 125 yards on 12 targets in a Week 4 win at Philadelphia, then posted his best game of the season in Week 5 against Buffalo, hauling in 17 receptions for 138 yards and a touchdown in a 37-34 overtime loss. He put up a six-catch, 80-yard effort in a narrow 18-16 defeat to Arizona in Week 6.
With Adams on injured reserve, the Rams are expected to lean even more heavily on Nacua, making the calf concern an especially difficult development.
According to PFN’s NFL WR Impact metric, Nacua is ranked 16th among wide receivers so far in 2026 with a grade of 81.3. He has hauled in 37 receptions for 417 yards and one touchdown on 52 targets while commanding the second-highest target share in the league at 30.1%.
The Rams play the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 7 with Nacua’s status still uncertain.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.