Cooper Kupp hasn’t played a preseason game since his rookie year in 2017 with the Los Angeles Rams and he’ll likely never get an opportunity to play in another one for the rest of his career. With the All-Pro wideout watching from the sideline during the team’s exhibition schedule, Kupp does believe the Rams get a little more from joint practices compared to the preseason.
“I don’t know. It’s been a long time since I played in a preseason game. I think there is an element that you do get some more because you’re usually doing more stuff,” Kupp said. “You’re opening the playbook a little more than you would in a preseason game. Being able to really test some of our rules that we do offensively and I think that’s a great thing being able to do that out here versus a preseason game where you’re trying not to put too much on film and just go through some of your basic installs. So I think is little more to that out here.”
The Rams are taking part in joint practices with the Cincinnati Bengals this week, which has become a common theme since Sean McVay was named head coach in 2017. Los Angeles has held joint practices with multiple teams in recent years and McVay prefers to have his starters get reps in those practices rather than risk injury in the preseason.
Being able to have an environment where you can get competitive reps against an opposing team while also getting an opportunity to try certain plays and concepts has proven to be beneficial for the Rams. The preseason still has a purpose for the players trying to earn roster spots, but the starters can prepare themselves for the regular season by squaring off against a team in a different uniform in live practices.
Joint practices have become more common around the NFL recently and it’s likely due to Kupp’s point of being able to try certain things that you wouldn’t be able to during a preseason contest. Seeing that the former third-round pick is coming off winning the league’s Offensive Player of the Year award in 2021, it’s hard to argue with his stance on joint practices being better for the starters compared to playing in the preseason.
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