Tennessee Titans vs. New Orleans Saints (Photo via NFL Twitter)
Samson Nacua, the older brother of Los Angeles Rams superstar wide receiver Puka Nacua, just strengthened his case to make the team’s final 53-man roster.
The 26-year-old Samson Nacua signed with the Saints earlier this month after a one-year stint with the UFL’s Michigan Panthers. With all 32 NFL teams needing to finalize their 53-man rosters soon, Nacua sure did his part in convincing the Saints to keep him around for the regular season.
With four seconds remaining in the first half of the New Orleans Saints-Tennessee Titans preseason game on Sunday, rookie kicker Brayden Narveson came out to attempt a 58-yard field goal.
Narveson’s kick came up short, and Samson Nacua attempted to close out the half with an electrifying 106-yard kick return. He was oh-so-close to finding the end zone, but unfortunately stepped out of bounds at the three-yard line:
Oh my goodness. Samson Nacua (Puka’s brother) nearly returned a missed FG for a 105+ yard TD. He stepped out of bounds just a couple of yards away from the pylon. pic.twitter.com/9Wecm1S3yT
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) August 25, 2024
Reaching the end zone would have been nice, but Nacua can take solace in knowing that he just flashed his potential in front of Saints’ coaches during the final preseason game. That counts for something.
Puka’s brother Samson Nacua almost took the FG return to the house. Barely stepped out at the 3 yard line.
Dude has had an awesome camp. #Saints pic.twitter.com/viDQGBjQR0— awthentik (@awthentik) August 25, 2024
The younger Nacua is coming off a tremendous rookie season for the Rams in which he tallied 105 receptions for 1,486 yards (both single-season rookie records) and six touchdowns. His efforts helped the Rams return to the postseason, where they narrowly fell to the Detroit Lions.
Saints Open Season vs. Carolina Panthers
The Saints are coming off a 9-8 season, only missing out on the NFC South crown via tiebreaker to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 2023 marked the third straight non-playoff appearance for New Orleans, who have struggled to find any consistency in the post-Drew Brees era.
New Orleans will try and start out the 2024 season on a high note when they welcome Bryce Young and the NFC South rival Carolina Panthers to the Caesars Superdome on Sept. 5.
