The Los Angeles Rams got bad news with Cooper Kupp beginning the season on IR. However, through the first two games, rookie Puka Nacua has burst onto the scene and looks every bit the part of a quality receiver. So far, Nacua has 25 catches for 266 yards on 35 targets and has become the go-to weapon for Matthew Stafford with Kupp on the shelf.

Nacua mentions the early morning sessions during OTAs and the work with Stafford and Kupp that have allowed the chemistry to develop early on, per Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic.

“Every morning (of OTAs) I was coming in, after practice coming in to see him,” Nacua said. “It slowly started branching out from there. (Peetz) got me some reps with the ones, and I was able to work with Stafford and with Coop. (Then, Stafford) is giving me coaching points because we got live reps together…I’m kind of following Coop, like, ‘Hey, when do you guys come in? Hey, Coop, can I watch with you guys?'”

Cooper Kupp revealed his early morning sessions with Stafford that led to him posting an eye-popping 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns during the 2021 season, and now Nacua is following in the footsteps of this QB-WR duo.

The hard work has more than paid off for the rookie out of BYU. Nacua was selected in the fifth round by the Rams and was overlooked quite a bit, but so far, the Rams have to love what they have seen from him. The Rams face the Cincinnati Bengals and Indianapolis Colts before Kupp could be activated, at the earliest, and it will be interesting to see how Nacua's workload changes when Kupp returns to the field.