Last season, Cooper Kupp did not look like the premier receiver that he was in 2021. He finished with just 737 yards on 59 catches in 12 games, which were both fewer than he had in only nine games the year prior.
The underwhelming numbers weren’t necessarily his fault, however. He missed the first four games of the season due to a hamstring injury that bothered him for weeks leading up to Week 1, and as the season went on, it became clear that he wasn’t fully healthy.
Despite the injuries that slowed him and caused a drop in production, Kupp remained one of the best receivers in the NFL when it came to getting open. According to Pro Football Focus, 87% of Kupp’s targets last season came when he was open. That was the sixth-highest rate of any wideout in the league, showing that he was still creating separation fairly consistently.
Injuries have hampered Cooper Kupp over the past two seasons, but he still gained separation on 87 targets in 2023. The 31-year-old ranked second on the Rams in targets (100), target rate (27.2%) and gains of 20-plus yards (10). Kupp leads the Rams’ receiving corps in open-target rate over the past three seasons (86.8%) and ranks eighth in receiving yards (4,001) over that span.
Kupp will be competing with Puka Nacua for targets again this season as the top two receivers on the Rams. With both players healthy, the offense is in great shape and Matthew Stafford shouldn’t have much trouble finding open receivers.
Nacua should only continue to get better and if Kupp can recapture even a little bit of his 2021 magic, the Rams are going to be a dangerous passing attack.