LOS ANGELES -- There are times, Puka Nacua said, when he's been in the Los Angeles Rams wide receivers room this spring and heard another player ask a question. And then he realizes that player is looking to Nacua for a response.
"It's weird," Nacua said. "They're asking me questions, and I'm like, 'Wait, Coach Yarbs [wide receivers coach Eric Yarber], do you want me to answer this for real?'
"I'm like, 'I feel like I still have some of these similar questions.' But it's been good because it's a teaching moment for me."
The shift came in part because, for the first time in his young NFL career, Nacua won't be playing alongside Cooper Kupp. Kupp, the longtime Rams receiver who took Nacua under his wing after he was drafted in 2023, was released by the Rams in March. Kupp, who is entering his ninth NFL season and his first without the Rams, signed a three-year deal with the Seattle Seahawks.
"It definitely is a little bit different," Nacua said. "The spot he used to sit in, I think, it's definitely occupied by somebody now. So everyone's getting used to it."
Along with releasing Kupp, the Rams revamped their receiving corps this offseason by signing Davante Adams. Adams, who is entering his 12th NFL season, said after signing in March that, after talking to head coach Sean McVay and other members of the Rams' organization, it was clear this is where he needed to be.
Adams has "come in and been a great leader," Nacua said.
"Obviously somebody who's played at a superhigh level his whole career and the knowledge he has is something different from what we're used to having somebody like Coop [Kupp] in the system for a long time," Nacua said. "So it's been great to have him around and I feel like we're learning something new every day."
Last season, the Rams' offense struggled with consistency, especially while missing Kupp and Nacua to injury for a significant portion of the season.
Nacua, who first injured his knee during a joint practice with the Chargers in August, later aggravated the injury in Week 1. Nacua finished the season with 79 catches for 990 yards and three touchdowns on 11 games. Kupp missed four games for Los Angeles with a high ankle sprain.
Despite the injuries, Rams receivers combined for 3,357 receiving yards last season, which was the most in the NFL, according to ESPN Research. The group's 404 targets also was the highest total in the NFL.
Even early during the third phase of organized team activities, McVay said he has been "really impressed with [Adams'] willingness to share, his openness and his refreshing humility in terms of being coached but then being able to offer his insight."
"It's fun to be able to listen to ... he and [quarterback] Matthew [Stafford] have a dialogue of their accumulated experiences and getting on the same page for how they want to be able to do things," McVay said. "But he's been great. ... He's been great in the meetings, incredibly detail-oriented.
"You can see how smart he is. There are a couple things that are new in terms of the vernacular, but a lot of this stuff is same as or maybe just a couple subtle tweaks. But his ability to be able to learn, his ability to be able to listen and then ultimately lead, has been a big factor."
But although the dynamics have changed in the receivers room, Nacua said he doesn't think his role has changed.
"No, I don't think so," Nacua said. "I think when speaking with Coach [McVay], it's to be who I am."
Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur said he has seen Nacua "get better," saying, "I've been really impressed with where he was when he came back for Phase 1."
"He's always going to put in the work, but I think he was better in Phase 1 this year than he was the year before and just like he was obviously when we first drafted him a couple years ago," LaFleur said.
Behind Nacua and Adams, the Rams have a receivers room that includes newly re-signed Tutu Atwell, 2024 sixth-round pick Jordan Whittington and rookie seventh-round pick Konata Mumpfield.
And while there's no doubt this Rams passing game will be led by Nacua and Adams this season, Nacua said he has seen the way Adams' presence has already affected everyone in the receivers room.