Puka Nacua Trying To Reach Cooper Kupp’s Expectations

The Los Angeles Rams will be leaning heavily on its offense when the 2024 season rolls around. Los Angeles managed to make a playoff run on the back of head coach Sean McVay’s revamped offensive scheme, but also because of the emergence of Puka Nacua.

Nacua, a fifth-round pick by the Rams in the 2023 NFL Draft, took the league by storm in his rookie year.

He broke several rookie receiving records and is poised to play larger role in the pass game next season. However, he’ll have the perfect running mate in Cooper Kupp who appears to be fully healthy after dealing with injuries last season.

Nacua’s been working with Kupp during the offseason and reveals that he doesn’t think he’s met his teammate’s expectations for him yet, via Stu Jackson of TheRams.com:

“I feel like I’m still trying to reach Coop’s expectations,” Nacua said Monday after Day 1 of the Rams’ offseason program, referring to Cooper Kupp. “Because he set the standard for us in the wide receiver room and for a lot of receivers in the NFL. I mean, to be the triple-crown winner. I just mentioned it to him not too long ago, I don’t know how wide receivers have won a Super Bowl MVP.

“The standard is still set very high, and I don’t think I’m close to reaching it.”

The second-year wideout also discussed how tough some of his training days with Kupp were:

“His conditioning days were some of the tougher ones,” Nacua said. “I remember the first week I came back, I think I threw up every day of the week. He wasn’t a fan of that, because it was on his lawn and stuff. He was like, ‘you’re throwing up in my bushes Puka, thanks.’ But it was super fun, and then to come back in today, it felt like I didn’t miss a beat. There was kind of an idea of, ‘Oh, I don’t know what I’m going to do for the offseason.’ But following Coop’s plan made it super easy and centered me in the right way.”

Pacua’s done well to get himself ready for next season and it’ll be fun to see if he can build on his historic rookie year.

Sean McVay eyeing offensive player with Rams’ first round pick in 2024 NFL Draft

The core of the offense seems set at this point of the offseason, but McVay is reportedly eyeing another offensive piece with the team’s first round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.