Rams hope to have star WR Kupp against Eagles

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay said it is “the hope” that wide receiver Cooper Kupp will be able to come off of injured reserve in Week 5 against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Kupp has missed the Rams’ first three games of the season with a hamstring injury and is eligible to return from IR after Los Angeles’ Week 4 game against the Indianapolis Colts. Kupp first injured his hamstring Aug. 1 during a training camp practice and experienced a setback prior to the start of the season.

McVay said he didn’t “want to pigeonhole” himself by saying that Kupp would be able to play in Week 5, but that the wide receiver is progressing and “ramping up his workload.”

“He’s doing a great job with [VP of sports medicine Reggie Scott] and his group, but when you’re talking about returning to performance and returning to play, those are different things,” McVay said. “And we want him to be able to return to performance at the level that he’s capable of.

“And so we’re continuing to take it a day at a time. I know he’s doing everything in his power to be able to get himself ready to go and get out there with his teammates, and hopefully next week will represent that.”

Before Kupp went on injured reserve prior to the season, McVay said Kupp’s journey with his hamstring injury hadn’t followed “the standard protocol for when you’re reaggravating a soft tissue injury.” Kupp saw a specialist in Minnesota last month in an attempt to get to the root of his hamstring issues.

Kupp has not played in a game since Week 10 of 2022 after an ankle injury ended his season. He had 75 catches for 812 yards and six touchdowns in those nine games.

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