Does Kupp's absence open door for 3 LA Rams underestimated weapons in Week 1?
By Bret Stuter
Weapon II: Rookie WR Puka Nacua
The LA Rams have been highly complementary of rookie WR Puka Nacua so far. But we have heard plenty of accolades from the Rams media and coaching staff before, only to wonder what was wrong as the rookie was essentially red-shirted over the entirety of their rookie season.
Wouldn't it be incredible for the LA Rams to actually see a rookie wide receiver on the football field? Just this once?
While the Rams struggled in the past to integrate rookie receivers into their offense quickly, there has always been an abundance of veterans who were the assumed starters. The Rams have boasted such receivers at Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods, Brandin Cooks, Allen Robinson, and even Josh Reynolds in the past.
Rams have multiple receiver options
Whether or not you believe them to be worthwhile NFL starters, they certainly were going to get offensive snaps over unproven rookies. Unlike other rookie additions, Puka Nacua has seemed to be a completely natural fit for what these LA Rams can and want to do on offense. He is a 6-foot-2 202-pound wide receiver who we compared to Cooper Kupp in our rookie introduction feature. What better way to afford him the opportunity to contribute in this offense than to slide him in for Kupp in Week 1?
Throughout preseason games, Puka Nacua was a polished Rams receiver who ran excellent routes and made great grabs for the football. While the NFL is more difficult than preseason games, there is no way to know Nacua's limits without testing him in Week 1.