'Dream' conditions prove this Rams veteran still has plenty left in his tank

As the LA Rams must sort out their 2024 NFL season to master their needs and strategy for the 2025 NFL season, the front office needs to take stock of who should and should not be considered vital ingredients for the next year. Can veteran players still contribute to the team's success? Do veteran players still have a passion for the game? And finally, do veteran players still have unmet goals to keep them willing to grind out the long summer of training camp and preseason to make next year meaningful?

Those are all difficult to measure as the season ends. But at this time of the season, it's vitally important to have those answers. And with the blend of seasoned veterans and youth on the Rams roster, the team has to be certain that every player is onboard. That includes both remaining weight-bearing walls on this team: QB Matthew Stafford and WR Cooper Kupp.

Before the Divisional Round of the 2025 NFL Playoffs, there was a sense of disappointment in WR Cooper Kupp's comments. He wanted to be a contributor to the offense, but he was no longer attracting the same number of targets or putting up the same level of receiving yards that he was accustomed to.

For Cooper Kupp, that is a harsh reality.

But as the veteran receiver viewed the last game of the Rams' season, his comments became prophetic. And his prophesy was more than just a scrying about the playoff game:

"Finding a way to get it done."

That has been the hiccup in the Rams offense throughout 2024. Kupp managed to put up 710 yards and six touchdowns. But his 59.s yards per game were the second-least of his NFL career, save only his rookie season. And it was the second consecutive season in which the Rams had Kupp suited up for just 12 games.

In both 2023 and 2024, Kupp sat out the final game of the season.

So what about Kupp proves that he still has plenty in the tank? We can start by focusing on his five of seven catches on a snowy field for 61 receiving yards as a good place to start. While he was the third receiver on the Rams roster in terms of yards, his efforts bested all Eagles receivers. And his effort was noticeably apparent throughout the game:

One of the things about postseason is that I often turn to how well a player performs in the quest of anticipating what may lie ahead in the future. Kupp's postseason ended with him catching six of eight passes for 90 yards. That is a pretty solid performance for the veteran who never seemed to get on track on the regular season.

Kupp was not his typical self in 2024. And it may be necessary to lower our expectations of what a 'normal' season means for Kupp going forward. But if Kupp merely adds 700+ yards and 5+ touchdowns, that ought to be enough for the Rams, as long as the team has other receivers who are productive, and at least one wide receiver who can clear 1000+ receiving yards.

The Rams offense struggled to score points consistently all season. In most games, the team struggled to score points early. I see Kupp as part of the solution, and not as part of the problem.

Certainly, a tip of the cap is due to the Philadelphia Eagles. But the Eagles did not struggle with injuries in 2024 at the level the Rams did. Perhaps, with the Rams certain to retain the core of the coaching staff, the team can restock the roster around key contributors.

Cooper Kupp's passion for football remains strong. That is enough to convince me that he should be a key contributor in 2025.

As always, thanks for reading.

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