The 49ers may not be in any position to complain if the latest Puka Nacua rumor turns into something real.
San Francisco is already staring at a tricky Week 1 matchup with the Rams in Melbourne, Australia, and now there’s a possibility Los Angeles could be without its top wideout when that game kicks off. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Nacua could face discipline from the league tied to off-field incidents that may run afoul of the NFL’s personal conduct policy.
““We'll leave that to the NFL to figure out what did and didn't happen," Schefter said. "But it's possible that when the Niners and Rams play in Australia, it's within the realm of options that Puka doesn't play in that game."
That would be a major break for San Francisco. The 49ers are already underdogs against a Rams team being talked about as one of the league’s strongest Super Bowl contenders, and Nacua sits near the top of Sean McVay’s offensive hierarchy behind quarterback Matthew Stafford.
He’s coming off a massive season, finishing with 1,715 receiving yards and a league-best 107.2 yards per game. If he’s not on the field, that changes the entire shape of the matchup.
It also takes pressure off a 49ers secondary that could be one of the softer spots in the defense. Deommodore Lenoir would likely draw the assignment on Nacua if the receiver plays, but even then the threat he brings would ripple through the rest of the Rams’ passing game and create more room for Stafford’s other weapons.
For San Francisco, that’s the kind of development they’d happily take and not look back.
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