


When the Los Angeles Rams take the field on Sept. 10 for their season opener, there’s a good chance All-Pro wide receiver Cooper Kupp won’t be in uniform.
Kupp was in Minnesota this weekend visiting “a noted body specialist to further understand his hamstring issue,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported.
“With two pulls in one summer, the hope is to fully comprehend the root of the issue,” Rapoport continued. “Coach Sean McVay has described him as ‘day-to-day.'”
Kupp struggled during training camp with hamstring problems and doesn’t sound close to being good to go with the setback.
“There’s a difference between return to play and return to performance,” McVay said, per ESPN.
“We want return to performance for Cooper Kupp. We know how special a player, special of a person, and so we want to make sure we are smart with that and getting him back to feeling like the Cooper Kupp we all know and that he’s able to play the way that he’s capable of, whenever that is. Whether that is Sept. 10th or not, we’ll continue to monitor that and control what we can control.”
Health problems are nothing new for the 30-year-old Kupp, who missed the final eight games of the 2022 season with a high ankle sprain.
However, the year before that, Kupp won the triple crown of receiving, leading the league in receptions (145), receiving yards (1,947) and touchdown receptions (16).
Kupp capped his historic 2021 campaign by earning Super Bowl MVP honors as the Rams beat the Cincinnati Bengals, 23-20.
Kupp pulled down eight receptions for 92 yards and a pair of touchdowns, including the game-winner with 1:25 left in the fourth quarter.
With or without Kupp, the Rams visit the Seattle Seahawks next Sunday in an NFC West matchup.