LA Rams: 5 players who must prove durability this year

WR

No, wide receiver Cooper Kupp is not injury prone. But whenever the LA Rams find themselves chasing down the Lombardi over the past four years, they have had to do so without the help of Kupp. That’s a bit frustrating, particularly when it comes down to the win-or-go-home scenarios of the NFL Playoffs. After all, Kupp is typically a name only found in the circles of LA Rams fans. The NFL has yet to appreciate Kupp for the talented player that he is.

He gets open, and he can run with the ball after the catch. According to the latest graph provided by Michigan Football Analytics, there is nobody close to his ability in both areas. And you can talk speed, height, and vertical leap all you want. But isn’t the litmus test of all the fancy terminology about getting open and moving the ball?  I think so.

Kupp is not the NFL’s leading receiver, because the Rams have struggled to get everyone on offense on the same page. HC Sean McVay designed plays with multiple reads and as many as four-five eligibles testing defensive coverages. Former QB Jared Goff struggled to read his progressions past the primary or secondary reads, often throwing incomplete to a covered man rather than throw to an open third, fourth, or fifth receiver. And the Rams receivers, believing that the ball might come their way, ran their routes as deeply as designed with the intention of putting up serious yards.

Adding veteran Matthew Stafford should help the progressions, and will definitely help push the ball further downfield. But Cooper Kupp needs to remain on the field and healthy. The LA Rams need a 1300+ yards 10+ touchdown season from Kupp this season, and will only get it if he can play for all 17 games.  Kupp can put up those kinds of numbers with a healthy season