Brother of Los Angeles Rams Puka Nacua Gets Sack in UFL Debut

The Los Angeles Rams boasted several feel-good stories in 2023. Can Kai Nacua, brother of Rams receiver Puka Nacua, become another in the UFL?

Mar 30, 2024; Detroit, MI, USA; St. Louis Battlehawks wide receiver Marcell Ateman (3) jumps for a / David Reginek-USA TODAY Sports

There’s a beauty that comes with opening day. From extra festivities to the sense of renewal and opportunity, the first game of the season – regardless of the sport – carries extra importance.

Perhaps it means even more to the United Football League and its participants, who will once again cling to their football lives, hoping to carve out professional opportunities both at home and abroad. No season is guaranteed and each week has the potential to make or break a dream decades in the making.

A separate feel good story, Los Angeles Rams receiver Puka Nacua, will be sure to keep tabs with the UFL as it fills the gap the NFL leaves in the spring.

Mar 30, 2024; Detroit, MI, USA; St. Louis Battlehawks wide receiver Marcell Ateman (3) jumps for a / David Reginek-USA TODAY Sports

His brother, safety Kai Nacua, is on the Michigan Panthers, hoping to rejoin his younger brother in the ranks of the NFL.

On Saturday, Nacua made his UFL debut, and did so with a bang. His sack of former NFL and current St. Louis Battlehawks quarterback A.J. McCarron to help secure an 18-16 win – cemented by a last-second, 64-yard field goal.

NACUA TIME! ✨@KaiNacua gets the sack on McCarron! #UFL2024 pic.twitter.com/HuP7t2YUGw

— Michigan Panthers (@USFLPanthers) March 30, 2024

Nacua would record 11 tackles and two tackles for loss to go with the sack.

Nacua went undrafted out of BYU in 2017 – a similar story to his brother, who was a fifth-round pick – but failed to stick during his initial stints in the NFL. He spent time with the Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, Indianapolis Colts, San Francisco 49ers, and New York Jets.

He and the Panthers will get another chance to stand out against the Birmingham Stallions on Sunday, April 7, at Ford Field. The game will be televised by ESPN. Don’t be surprised if a certain Rams receiver tunes in.