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Sarah Barshop
Multiple Authors
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Rams are taking it a day at a time when deciding when wide receiver Puka Nacua will return to practice, head coach Sean McVay said.
Nacua, who left the Rams’ joint practice against the Dallas Cowboys last Tuesday with a lower back injury, may not return to practice until next week. McVay said Nacua “still has some soreness,” and that the Rams don’t want to push him to return to practice too soon.
Defensive end Myles Garrett also did not take part in practice, as he is dealing with swelling in his knee. Garrett worked out off to the side with a member of the Rams’ training staff during practice. McVay said the Rams will wait to decide when Garrett will return to practice, but said, “probably next week.”
“Anytime you’re talking about a soft tissue, especially with a skill player or a knee with a guy that does some of the things that Myles is doing, we’re going to err on the side of caution, while not minimizing how important it is to get those guys out there,” McVay said.
On Thursday, McVay said Nacua was dealing with “a little soreness” in his psoas, a muscle that connects the lower spine to the thigh bone. McVay said that day that he expected the receiver to be back at practice the following week.
McVay reiterated that while it’s important for players, “no matter how great you are,” to get the reps on the practice field, the Rams want Nacua and Garrett to be 100% healthy before they return.
“We want to make sure that it’s a return to performance, not just return to play,” McVay said.
McVay also discussed defensive tackle Aaron Donald‘s workout on Saturday saying, “it’s part of his process that he’s going through” to decide whether he wants to come out of retirement.
Donald practiced at the team’s facility and was listed as a “tryout” on the NFL’s transaction report on Sunday. It was the second time Donald has worked out for the team this training camp.
“It just allows us to be able to use football equipment, and it’s very similar to what the other workout was,” McVay said. “And so he’s continuing to go through his process, which there’s a lot of things that you try to mimic and emulate game-like settings and situations to be able to get clarity on whether he wants to do this or not.”
The Rams open the season in Melbourne, Australia on Sept. 10 against the San Francisco 49ers.
