Cooper Kupp has already proved he’s one of the best players in the league, but he might also have a future as an offensive coordinator in the NFL. His football intelligence has been mentioned countless times and on Sunday against the Ravens, he showed off his mental acumen once again.
Sean McVay revealed after the Rams’ 20-19 win that Kupp suggested the play call that resulted in Matthew Stafford hitting Van Jefferson for a 35-yard gain. He recognized something with Baltimore’s defense that led him to suggest a play to McVay, and it worked to perfection.
Stafford threw a perfect pass to Jefferson deep over the middle that got the Rams to Baltimore’s 37-yard line, and though it didn’t result in points, it was the Rams’ biggest play of the day.
“He’s the one that basically called the second half on the first drive – the 35-yard gain to Van Jefferson. He recognized they were playing a certain coverage. He put that thought in my head and that was in essence his play call. And that just goes to show you, the guy’s making plays every time he gets an opportunity but he’s also making suggestions because of the way he sees coverage contours, he understands the way that the back end is distributing to get us to some of the voids and vacancies. And who else is making suggestions on a 35-yard gain that played out exactly like he articulated to me at the end of the first half.”
McVay joked that “maybe I should give him some of my salary, too,” before saying maybe not.
But this is just another example of the job Kupp has done not only as a receiver, but also in meetings and the huddle offensively. He’s as smart as they come in the NFL right now.