Nacua doesn’t mind watching the Rams’ tight ends do their thing

The Los Angeles Rams had statistically the least productive tight end group in the NFL last season. This year, it’s been a very different story thanks to Sean McVay’s decision to utilize that position much more often with 13 personnel.

It’s a major shift in offensive philosophy, using three tight ends together rather than always having three wideouts on the field. Of course, if there are more three-tight end packages, there are fewer snaps to go around for the wideouts.

As a result of this shift, Puka Nacua has played fewer snaps than usual. He played 49% of the offensive snaps in Week 9, 52.2% in Week 10 and 66.7% on Sunday after playing between 81% and 92.6% in Weeks 3-5. His usage has decreased a little bit, too, seeing no more than eight targets in his last three games after averaging 12.4 per game in the first five weeks.

Puka Nacua told Rams Wire on behalf of his partnership with Pepsi for “Puka’s Picks” that he loves watching the Rams’ tight ends impose their will and give him a little bit of a break on the sidelines with all the 13 personnel Los Angeles is using.

“Yeah, definitely on that,” Nacua said of whether he feels fresher. “I feel like I spend a little more time on the sidelines but I love watching our boys. Our tight end group is playing so well as a unit and seeing them go out there and mash people. Me and Jordan Whittington, we kind of named ourselves the Bash Bros. We haven’t come up with a name for them but I know they go out there and when people line up, they’re like, ‘You’re about to get mauled.’ We’ve got a good group of guys out there that play the game physically correct and I enjoy that part of it. So I do feel like it’s nice because I’m like, I go down on third down and I’m like, I know this is an opportunity to make plays and keep our drives going. I worked on some first-down celebrations so it’s given me a little extra free time on my hands.”

The Rams’ 18.5% usage rate of 13 personnel is the highest in the NFL, according to Sumer Sports, up from 0.29% last season, second-lowest in football. It’s allowed Davante Adams, Puka Nacua and the Rams’ other wideouts to stay fresh without having to play 90-plus percent of the snaps, which will benefit them in the long run.

Nacua may not see the high volume of targets he once was but if it helps keep him healthy, the Rams will reap the rewards down the stretch.

Off the field, Nacua continues to give back to the community, hosting a free lunch event at East Los Tacos for his “Puka’s Picks” series. He and content creator Owen Hahn partnered with Pepsi to treat fans to a free lunch, encouraging them to try Nacua’s pick, a torta asada.

“We’ve been going to visit some restaurants in the local L.A. area, trying some food, and then making them a Rams House and getting to meet some of the owners and hear a little bit about their story and then I get to try some new foods,” Nacua said on behalf of Pepsi.