Cooper Kupp’s pesky hamstring issue seems to be getting more complicated by the week.
First things first: Kupp will not play in Los Angeles’ season opener against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, Rams coach Sean McVay announced Wednesday.
The news is undoubtedly disappointing for the Rams, but that’s not the only concern on their minds: Los Angeles hasn’t quite figured out the source of Kupp’s hamstring discomfort.
“It wasn’t the normal thing. There’s just a lot of gray behind this,” McVay said of Kupp’s injury. “I’m not a doctor, so I can’t really answer anything more about that. I just know it doesn’t follow the standard protocol for when you’re reaggravating a soft-tissue injury. (We are) trying to continue to get a grasp on exactly what it is so he can get back to feeling like the Cooper that we know and love. Hopefully, we’ll do that.”
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As we all know, it’s hard to hit a target you can’t see. In order for Kupp to work his way back to the field, he and the Rams medical staff need to determine what exactly is causing his discomfort.
Kupp traveled to Minnesota Saturday to visit with a body specialist to further understand the root of his injury, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported, and he stuck around for a couple of days to receive treatment, per McVay. The treatment helped, but didn’t get Kupp any closer to returning.
With these facts considered, Wednesday’s announcement was unavoidable. And it sounds as if it won’t be the last time McVay is peppered with questions regarding Kupp’s health.
“We’re trying to open up every avenue in regards to figuring out what’s going on, why is he feeling some of the sensations and things like that in his hamstring?” McVay explained. “Is it soft tissue? Is there something nerve-wise? … I think we’re really trying to be able to figure that out.
“He felt like he gained a lot of information, was able to do a couple of days of treatment that was beneficial, but it wasn’t anything that’s like ‘OK, he’s gonna be back right now.’
McVay met with Kupp Wednesday, and unfortunately, “it wasn’t like there was any sort of groundbreaking information,” the coach said later. He doesn’t have a timeline for Kupp’s return, and a trip to injured reserve remains a possibility for the Super Bowl LVI MVP.
At minimum, Kupp isn’t playing in Week 1. We’ll continue to monitor what promises to be a fluid situation with the star receiver.
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