There’s a chance Cooper Kupp makes his season debut for the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday versus the Philadelphia Eagles after beginning the season on injured reserve. Ahead of Kupp’s anticipated return, Sean McVay discussed how the Rams plan on deploying the All-Pro wideout alongside breakout rookie Puka Nacua.
“I think it’s a balance,” McVay said. “I think there’s always an element of, OK, what do we want to be able to live in? When are those situations coming up that we want to activate those types of plays? What type of structures are we anticipating to attack? And so, there’s a lot of layers, but I think it’s kind of deciding on – I think the first part of it is, it’s a good thing. Let’s see how today goes and let’s see if we’re able to continuously build and how big, how much we’re going to be able to utilize Cooper based on what he’s feeling like. But I’ve been in situations, whether you go back to Washington or I could go on throughout the seven years, this being Year 7, of guys that can do similar things but when you’re in a good position to be able to bring to life some of those skill sets. And I think it is good for guys to have complementary skillsets, which I think those two do of one another as well, but you look at it and it’s a fun thing to be able to work through.”
Before Week 1, Kupp reaggravated a hamstring injury he suffered during training camp, prompting the Rams to place him on injured reserve. Kupp has missed the required minimum of four games, and the Rams designated him to return from IR, opening his 21-day window to be activated to the roster.
Amid Kupp’s absence, Nacua has gotten off to a historic start in his career. The fifth-round rookie has hauled in 39 of his 52 targets for 501 yards and a touchdown through the first four weeks.
With Kupp sidelined, the Rams have deployed Nacua in a similar manner as the former Super Bowl MVP, making him the No. 1 target for Matthew Stafford in the offense. Many are curious to see how the Rams will look offensively with both Kupp and Nacua on the field together for the first time.
While there is only one football, McVay admits the Rams have a good problem with trying to figure out how to keep Nacua involved upon Kupp’s return. And he believes the two wideouts complement each other well, which could lead to this offense reaching even further heights moving forward.