Tag: Cooper Kupp

Who will be Rams’ biggest red-zone threat in 2020?

Cooper Kupp had the highest target share in the red zone last year. Will that continue?

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The tallest wide receiver on the Rams roster is Josh Reynolds, who’s 6-foot-3 and a slender 196 pounds. His frame doesn’t exactly scream “jump-ball specialist,” nor is he all that physical at the catch point.

Cooper Kupp is 6-foot-2, with Robert Woods an even 6 feet and rookie Van Jefferson 6-1. Clearly, the Rams lack height and leaping ability in their receiving corps, which can create challenges in the red zone.

They don’t have a Dez Bryant-type who can go up and win jump balls. They don’t have a DeAndre Hopkins, whose hands are as sticky as glue, even on contested catches.

The Rams’ shorter wideouts haven’t caused any problems inside the 20-yard line, as they’ve been one of the most efficient red-zone teams in the league lately. Last season, they scored touchdowns on 64.4% of their red-zone trips, which was sixth in the NFL.

The departure of Brandin Cooks won’t hurt that number, but Todd Gurley’s release could lead to some struggles when the Rams get close to the end zone. According to Pro Football Focus, Gurley had the fourth-best touchdown rate on carries inside the 5-yard line last year, scoring 53% of the time.

So with Gurley gone and the Rams lacking a true red-zone threat, who will step up? The most obvious answer is Kupp.

He’s not the biggest receiver around, but his route running allows him to get open for Jared Goff. And as difficult as it is to shake loose in the close quarters of the red zone, Kupp finds ways to do exactly that.

And when Goff throws him the ball in the end zone, more often than not, it’ll go for six. Kupp was far and away the best receiver on end-zone targets last year, scoring a touchdown on 83% of such plays – 12% higher than any other receiver.

On his 18 targets in the red zone last year, Kupp caught 13 passes for seven touchdowns – an impressive catch rate of 72.2%, which ranked 15th among all players with at least 10 red-zone targets. Inside the 10-yard line, Kupp caught 8-of-10 targets for six touchdowns – tied for the most scores of any player.

His target share of 28.6% inside the 10-yard line was tops on the Rams and ranked sixth in the NFL. For comparison, Tyler Higbee was second on the team at 25.7%, while Cooks was targeted on just 14.3% of Goff’s passes inside the 10. Surprisingly, Woods was even further down the list, tied with Gerald Everett at 11.4%. That’s partly why Woods only had two touchdowns last year.

Will we see a similar target share next season? Or will someone overtake Kupp? It’s likely Kupp will remain No. 1, but expect Higbee’s share to stay relatively high.

He’s the third-tallest player on the team at 6-foot-6 and his catch radius is large. His hands aren’t the most reliable, but if he can simply box out defenders and give Goff a nice target, he can rack up the touchdowns in 2020.

Goff and the pass-catchers will need to step up in the red zone next season with Gurley out of the picture. Sure, Cam Akers and Malcolm Brown could prove effective near the goal line, but Gurley had a nose for the end zone.

If the Rams throw the ball more often inside the 20, expect Kupp and Higbee to be the ones getting the bulk of the targets.

Ranking the No. 1 wide receivers Eagles’ CB Darius Slay will face in 2020

Ranking the No. 1 wide receivers Eagles CB Darius Slay will face in 2020

The Philadelphia Eagles can now lay claims to having one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL after they acquired Darius Slay from the Lions for draft picks.

Over the past few seasons, the Eagles have suffered at the hands of top-flight wide receivers and during the 2020 NFL season, they’ll face some of the best pass catchers on the planet.

The Eagles will play their three NFC East opponents (Dal, NYG, Was), four AFC North opponents (Bal, Cle, Pit, Cin) along with four teams from the NFC West (49ers, Rams, Seahawks, Cardinals) as well as the Saints and Packers.

That’s some heavyweight wide receiver play and a reason why some analysts and prognosticators believe the Eagles will have a hard time repeating as NFC East champions.

In the division, they’ll see Amari Cooper twice, along with Sterling Shephard and the dynamic Terry McLaurin.

During the four-game AFC North jaunt, they’ll face Marquise Hollywood Brown (Antonio Brown’s cousin), a huge matchup with Odell Beckham Jr., JuJu Smith-Schuster, and A.J. Green.

In the NFC West, Slay and the Eagles will face Deebo Samuel, Tyler Lockett, DK Metcalf, Robert Woods, and the electric DeAndre Hopkins.

And finally, Slay will have an all-world matchup with the Saints Michael Thomas and the Packers Davante Adams.

If all these guys are healthy, Slay and the Eagles secondary could arguably end up-facing five of the top-12 wideouts in the NFL this season.

With the virtual offseason progressing, we rank the No. 1 wide receivers on the Eagles 2020 NFL schedule.

If the team has no clear cut No. 1, then we ranked the top-2.

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12. Deebo Samuel

A player that the Eagles could have chosen ahead of JJ Arcega-Whiteside, Samuel burst onto the scene with the 49ers and he’s going to be a really good one.

Samuel amassed 961 yards total from scrimmage last season – 802 through the air and 159 on the ground. That surpassed the previous high of 953 by Jerry Rice in 1985. Samuel’s s 961 scrimmage yards ranked 27th among all wideouts, and he was second to the Titans AJ Brown among rookies.

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Will the Seahawks finally sweep the Rams in 2020?

Can the Seahawks notch two wins against their hated rival? Here’s why the Seattle Seahawks could finally sweep the Rams in 2020.

During the Pete Carroll/Russell Wilson era, the Seattle Seahawks have been one of the most consistent and successful teams in the NFL. In fact, since 2012, only the New England Patriots have had as many double-digit win seasons as the Seahawks.

However, despite the wins and trips to the playoffs, there has been one constant thorn in Seattle’s side – the division-rival Rams. Even when the Rams were lowly bottom feeders in St. Louis, they still gave the Seahawks and the Legion of Boom a run for their money every time.

Russell Wilson has nine losses to the Rams in his career, with only seven wins to show for it. The Rams are one of only two teams with a winning record over the Seahawks quarterback. The other club is the Chargers, with a 2-0 mark against him.

Even when the Seahawks beat the Rams, it always seems to come by the skin of their teeth. Since 2017, Seattle has only beaten them twice. In 2017 it was thanks to a dropped pass in the end zone from Rams receiver Cooper Kupp to preserve a 16-10 win – a game the Seahawks needed five turnovers to win by only a score. The next came in the 2019 season where Seattle barely escaped with a 30-29 win due to a missed game-winning field goal attempt.

In losses, it usually is a different story as the Rams typically take the Seahawks to the cleaners, such as last season’s 28-12 loss on SNF or 2017’s 42-7 drubbing in Seattle.

The Seahawks have only swept the Rams once since 2012, and it was in 2013. Even then it took yet another goal-line stand to leave St. Louis with a 14-9 victory.

The Rams are in nearly full-rebuild mode. Their once stacked roster has been whittled down due to age, injury and limited depth thanks to the salary cap. Gone are receiver Brandin Cooks, linebacker Clay Matthews, and notorious Seahawks-slayer Todd Gurley. Los Angeles also had limited draft capital to work with to fill some of these holes due to the team going all-in on splashy trades the last three years.

If there was ever a time to make up some lost ground to the Rams, 2020 would seem to be the year.

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Cooper Kupp donates $15K in Nike gear to students and families

Cooper Kupp is giving back to the community during this time of need.

Cooper Kupp is a fan favorite in Los Angeles, and it’s easy to see why. Not only is he productive and fun to watch on the field, but he’s equally good off the field when it comes to giving back to the community.

As part of his coronavirus-relief efforts, Kupp is donating $15,000 worth of Nike gear to students and their families in the Inglewood Unified School District. It’ll help provide clothing for 23 families, including shirts, pants, shorts, shoes and sweatshirts.

This was Kupp’s message after announcing his donation, via the Rams’ site.

“Our contribution seems insignificant among the hurt and hardship being felt worldwide,” said Kupp. “The goal for my wife and I is not only to help those in need, but also to thank those who are making unimaginable sacrifices for the good of everyone. It’s times like these where you can be a part of the team and help those that are feeling this the most.”

This isn’t the first time the Rams have teamed up with the Inglewood Unified School District as they’ve worked together since 2016 when the Rams moved back to Los Angeles. It also isn’t the first time a Rams player has provided help in the community.

Jared Goff and Andrew Whitworth each made $250,000 to the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, helping fund a total of 2 million meals. Sebastian Joseph-Day has also been providing meals to those working in hospitals during this pandemic.

The Rams have always been active in the community, and this offseason’s efforts are nothing new for the team. It’s great to see players giving back during this difficult time.

Cooper Kupp’s college coach shares story of late-night film sessions

Cooper Kupp would go to watch film when coaches were leaving for the night.

Cooper Kupp didn’t become one of the best slot receivers in the NFL after just three seasons thanks to elite athleticism and 4.3 speed. He’s hardly the fastest or quickest receiver around, instead relying on awareness and route-running to get open for his quarterback.

He’s also a film junkie, and has been since college. At Eastern Washington, Kupp would spend a lot of time watching game tape, and not when everyone else was watching it.

Kupp would watch film at midnight when coaches would be leaving the facilities. His coach at Eastern Washington, Aaron Best, shared some insight on Kupp’s dedication to improving.

“We would be going home at around 11:30 p.m. or midnight and he would just be showing up,” Best told Karthik Venkataraman of KREM2 News. “We would say, ‘Hey Coop, you’re married, why don’t you get home to Anna?’  He would say, ‘She’s in bed, we’re good. I’ve got to watch some one-on-ones today and seven-on-sevens then I’ll get out of here.”

That sounds exactly like the Kupp that Rams fans have come to love, always putting in extra work to get better and improve from one week to the next.

Best said Kupp was better at motivating himself than any player he’s been around.

“He was purely motivated on making himself better because he knew collectively that would make us better,” he said. “He did it better than any that I’ve been around.”

Kupp has shined since entering the NFL as a third-round pick in 2017, racking up 2,596 yards and 21 touchdowns in just 39 games played. He’s become Jared Goff’s safety valve in the middle of the field, but also a player who can create yards after the catch.

The Rams are lucky to have him, and although he’ll be a free agent next offseason, he should be one of the team’s top candidates for a contract extension.

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Cooper Kupp explains why he’s changing his jersey number to 10

Cooper Kupp has a good reason for changing his jersey number, and he’s making it up to fans with a cool gesture.

Cooper Kupp won’t just be wearing a new Rams jersey next season. He’ll also be sporting a new jersey on the front and back.

Kupp announced on social media Monday that he’s surprisingly changing his jersey number from 18 to 10. It’s not a completely random decision by Kupp, though. He wore No. 10 in college at Eastern Washington, which was a tribute to the No. 1 jersey that he wore in high school. It was a number that his coach told him he earned, even though he didn’t want to wear it.

Now, Kupp is going back to No. 10. Here’s the message he shared on Twitter explaining his decision.

As Kupp noted in his message, the number 10 wasn’t available when he was drafted in 2017, as it was worn by Pharoah Cooper at the time. With Cooper no longer on the roster, Kupp can reclaim the number he wore in college.

Kupp is obviously a very popular player among Rams fans since being a third-round pick in 2017, and thousands of his No. 18 jerseys have been sold.

So to make it up to those fans who bought his jersey this year, Kupp is doing something special. Fans who show proof of purchase for a jersey bought between Jan. 1 and May 10 will be able to send their jersey in, for it to be repurposed into a bespoke garment designed by Kupp’s wife.

Fans who participate will also receive a personalized message and autograph from Kupp.

As you can see in the graphics above, Kupp also has a new logo. It’s shaped like a K, but the number 10 can also be seen in it.

Kupp is a class act and has been since he was drafted by the Rams. As difficult as it is for a player to change his number, his offer to fans is commendable. And he picked a good time to make the switch, since the team will be getting new uniforms soon for fans to buy before the 2020 season.

Josh Reynolds also changed his jersey number this offseason, switching from No. 83 to 11 – also his college number.

What does Rams drafting Van Jefferson mean for Kupp, Reynolds?

Both Cooper Kupp and Josh Reynolds will be free agents in 2021.

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When the Rams traded away Brandin Cooks, it opened up an opportunity for Josh Reynolds to take over as the No. 3 receiver. Sean McVay called it a “big vote of confidence” for Reynolds, showing some faith in the fourth-year receiver as a potential starter.

Then the Rams went and selected Van Jefferson with the 57th overall pick, taking him over the likes of Denzel Mims, who Los Angeles was said to be among the teams most interested in. So what does this pick mean for Reynolds?

It’s certainly not good news for his future in L.A., nor is it going to do Cooper Kupp any favors.

Both Reynolds and Kupp will be free agents in 2021 and neither is certain to return to the Rams. It would seem obvious that the Rams would re-sign Kupp, who emerged as a well-rounded receiver last season, but that’s not a given.

The team already has large commitments made to Jared Goff, Aaron Donald and soon to be Jalen Ramsey. Signing Kupp to an extension that will likely put him among the highest-paid at his position won’t be an easy task for L.A.

It also bears mentioning that Jefferson is a similar player to Kupp, with Daniel Jeremiah comparing the Florida product to the Rams receiver. Might the Rams feel the same way?

Jefferson is a steady receiver who does just about everything well, similar to the way Kupp and Robert Woods play. He can line up at any wide receiver spot and succeed, using his route-running savvy to win one-on-one.

Kupp’s role won’t be impacted in 2020, but Reynolds’ certainly will. Jefferson will undoubtedly eat into his snaps, with both players likely splitting snaps as the No. 3 receiver. Furthermore, the Rams are expected to use their tight ends more, which will limit each receiver’s playing time.

With four quality wideouts in the mix, Jared Goff will have no shortage of options on offense. But at the same time, Reynolds’ future in L.A. is up in the air as his time in horns is likely coming to an end after this season.

Cooper Kupp says it’ll be hard for Rams to replace Brandin Cooks’ speed

Cooper Kupp says he and Robert Woods can get open on their own, even without Brandin Cooks.

Brandin Cooks wasn’t the biggest receiver on the Rams, nor did he have the best hands. However, he was undeniably the fastest.

He ran a 4.33 in the 40-yard dash at the 2014 NFL combine, making him one of the fastest receivers in the league. The Rams utilized his wheels a great deal in 2018 when he had 1,204 yards on 80 receptions, but that speed is now gone from the offense.

The Rams traded him to the Texans for a second-round pick, ending his time in L.A. after just two seasons. Josh Reynolds is a quality backup and will take over as a starter, most likely, but replicating Cooks’ speed is impossible right now.

Cooper Kupp knows that, but he isn’t of the thinking that he and Robert Woods needed Cooks’ speed to get open.

“It’s hard to find people that can run the way that Brandin can run. It’s a pretty special trait that he has, so it’s going to be hard to obviously emulate anything like that in terms of the deep threat that he is,” Kupp said on a conference call last week. “But I think each of us, any receiver that you ask in our receiver room, you ask us – none of us feels that we need to be aided to get open. Obviously, a coach is going to scheme you to give you the best opportunity to be open, Jared’s going to put the ball in the right place. Everyone’s going to do their job to give you the best opportunity to be open, but every single person on the team is going to say, ‘I can get it done, too. I can get this done. Anything you need me to get done on my own, I can do it.’”

The Rams don’t have a player with the speed of Cooks currently on the roster, but the draft does offer some options at wide receiver. Obviously, they won’t be in the range to land Henry Ruggs and his 4.27 speed, but Denzel Mims (4.38) and Devin Duvernay (4.39) could be options in Round 2 and the middle rounds, respectively.

Having two second-round picks helps in terms of finding contributors, but regardless of who the Rams select, it’ll be hard to replicate Cooks’ speed.

Cooper Kupp not worried about lack of contract talks with Rams

Contract talks with Rams haven’t started yet, but Cooper Kupp isn’t worried.

Cooper Kupp’s value to the Rams increased after the team traded away Brandin Cooks, who was signed through the 2023 season before he was shipped off to Houston. The Rams’ willingness to trade Cooks and eat $21.8 million in dead money would seem to be a sign of their commitment to both Kupp and Robert Woods.

But while Woods is under contract through the 2021 season, Kupp’s deal will expire after the upcoming season. And despite that fact, contract talks haven’t begun between his agent and the team.

Kupp revealed that bit of news on a conference call with reporters Thursday, but he isn’t worried about the lack of negotiations.

Kupp said “it’s really not a priority at this time,” but that doesn’t mean it’s unimportant to him. Rather, he understands the current state of the world and knows there are bigger things going on than contract negotiations.

Although the Rams don’t seem to be in a hurry to extend Kupp, they would appear committed to the 26-year-old wide receiver. Last month, COO Kevin Demoff said the team is trying to leave room for Kupp, Jalen Ramsey and John Johnson, all of whom will be free agents in 2021.

“[We’re] making sure long-term that the Cooper Kupps, the John Johnsons, the Jalen Ramseys are all part of our future and that we leave room available for that as the salary cap emerges,” he said.

In three NFL seasons, Kupp has 196 receptions, 2,596 yards and 21 touchdowns despite missing nine games – including half of the 2018 season with a torn ACL. Last season was his best as a pro, catching a career-high 94 passes for 1,161 yards and 10 touchdowns. If not for a relatively quiet second half of the season, his numbers could’ve been much better; he had 58 catches for 792 yards in the first eight games.

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Look: Goff and Kupp share messages for Brandin Cooks on Instagram

Cooper Kupp and Jared Goff shared messages for Brandin Cooks after his trade.

Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods and Brandin Cooks have made up one of the NFL’s best wide receiver trios of the last two years, but that group is no more in Los Angeles. The Rams traded Cooks to the Texans last week, ending his tenure with the team after just two seasons.

It’s the third time Cooks has been traded in his career, which is a huge surprise for a player who’s just 26 and has four 1,000-yard seasons. Despite all the frequent changes, Cooks has built strong relationships at each stop.

He was close with Kupp and Jared Goff, who both shared photos on Instagram after Cooks was traded.

Here’s what Goff posted on his Instagram story, telling Cooks to keep shooting his arrows – a tribute to Cooks’ signature celebration.

Kupp’s message was heartfelt, saying it’s “tough losing a teammate,” calling Cooks an “incredible teammate and leader.”

Kupp and Cooks spent the last two years together after the Rams acquired Cooks from the Patriots, and being in the same wide receiver room, it’s easy to see why they grew close.