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Rams’ Puka Nacua cleared to return to practice ahead of Thursday game vs. Minnesota

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Puka Nacua was designated to return to practice Tuesday after aggravating a knee injury in the Rams’ season opener against Detroit. (Nic Antaya / Getty Images)

The Rams’ receiving corps is getting healthier.

Puka Nacua, who has been on injured reserve since suffering a knee injury in the season opener, has been designated to return to practice, the team announced Tuesday.

The Rams are 2-4 heading into Thursday night’s game against the Minnesota Vikings at SoFi Stadium. Nacua will not play against the Vikings, but receiver Cooper Kupp is expected to return after sitting out four games because of an ankle injury suffered during a Week 2 rout by the Arizona Cardinals.

Read more: Rams-Raiders takeaways: Cooper Kupp should return Thursday but Braden Fiske up in air

Nacua enjoyed a record-setting rookie season last year, catching 105 passes for 1,486 yards and six touchdowns. He was a finalist for NFL offensive rookie of the year and made the Pro Bowl.

After training with Kupp during the offseason, Nacua appeared stronger when he reported to training camp in July.

But Nacua suffered a knee injury during a joint practice with the Chargers and sat out much of training camp. He returned for the season opener at Detroit and caught four passes for 35 yards before he aggravated the injury in the overtime defeat.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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