Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua could miss between five and seven weeks, depending on how quickly his posterior cruciate ligament injury heals, sources told ESPN.
Nacua reinjured his knee during last Sunday night's overtime loss to the Detroit Lions and was placed on injured reserve last week.
Rams coach Sean McVay said it was possible that Nacua could be sidelined the minimum of four weeks that he is required to miss by being placed on IR. The Rams have their bye in Week 6, so the earliest the second-year star could return would be Los Angeles' Week 7 home game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
But according to sources, now the Rams' thinking is that Nacua's status for the games against the Raiders and the following Thursday night at home against the Minnesota Vikings also could be in jeopardy.
The Rams want to make sure they are careful with Nacua and not rush him back. The team wants to do whatever is needed to ensure there are no more setbacks to the injury that Nacua initially suffered early in training camp.
The Rams find themselves in a situation similar to the one they faced last year, when they opened the season without standout wide receiver Cooper Kupp, who missed the first four games due to a hamstring injury. With Kupp out, Nacua went from being a fifth-round pick out of BYU to a breakout star, setting records for most receptions (105) and receiving yards (1,486) by a rookie in NFL history.
The Rams will need veteran wide receivers Demarcus Robinson and Tyler Johnson to step up to replace Nacua. Robinson had four catches for 42 yards against Detroit while Johnson finished second on the team behind Kupp in both receptions (five) and yards (79).