A big reason that the Los Angeles Rams 2022 season turned out to be such a disaster was because of the number of injuries that occurred. The Rams lost key players on both sides of the ball, one of which was star wide receiver Cooper Kupp.
Kupp suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 10 last season against the Arizona Cardinals that required surgery. It resulted in his season being cut short and the team’s passing offense going off the rails without their No. 1 option.
Before the injury, Kupp was on pace for another record-setting season. He had recorded 75 receptions for 812 yards and six touchdowns in nine games as Matthew Stafford’s No. 1 receiver. Looking to get back on track, he is quickly regaining his form during the Rams’ training camp.
“This is my second day running full speed, like competitive stuff,” Kupp said after practice at the University of California, Irvine. “Being camp, things feel fast, like they’re just moving a little faster than you’re used to. But man, even just from the first day to second day, things definitely [starting to feel] like, OK, now we’re back into the groove.
“Seeing things and being able to react off them. So it’s going to be a process. … Obviously, I haven’t done it since November, so it’s been a while. But it’ll come back fast.”
If the Rams’ offense is going to have any chance of getting back on track in 2023, Kupp will need to stay healthy. He is the most important player to finding success in the passing game as the first, second and third option that quarterback Matthew Stafford looks to.
Their excellent chemistry led to Kupp winning the Offensive Player of the Year award in 2021. He completed the wide receiver triple crown, leading the league in receptions, yards and touchdowns with a 145/1,947/16 split.
Kupp fell 18 yards short of breaking Calvin Johnson Jr.’s single-season record for receiving yards and is hoping to return to that form this season.
“It feels good,” Kupp said of his ankle. “That’s a long time [to be out]. I think the last time I [came back from such a long layoff] was basically coming off of the ACL [injury] in ’18 to ’19. Man, [it’s] great being back out here playing football again.”
Kupp certainly sounds excited about being back on the field with his Rams teammates. He is motivated to get back to the heights that he became accustomed to playing at. The last time that he came back from such a long layoff, he produced what were career-best numbers at the time. Can he replicate that in 2023? Only time will tell.
