National Football League

Cooper Kupp, Aaron Donald rebounds key Rams storylines for 2023

Published Jul. 19, 2023 2:51 p.m. ET

Despite his age, Rams receiver Cooper Kupp believes he has more good football ahead of him.

The NFL triple crown winner and Super Bowl MVP two years ago, Kupp, now 30 years old, was limited during offseason practices and is still working his way back from season-ending ankle surgery.

"I feel really good," Kupp told reporters last month. "I'm itching to be out there. It's a good place to be now where I feel like I'm asking for more and wanting to do more. [It's good] feeling like you're getting held back versus feeling like they're pushing you to do more, you know?

"So we're in a good place now where I feel like I want to get out there and play and they're being cautious with it."

The Rams need Kupp to return to an All-Pro level for Sean McVay's offense to be dangerous this season. Kupp's comeback is one of five storylines to watch as the Rams open training camp next week.

Will Kupp be an elite WR again?

Two years ago, the Eastern Washington product had one of the best seasons by a wide receiver in NFL history. Kupp finished as the triple crown champion during the 2021 regular season, leading the league in receptions (145), receiving yards (1,947) and receiving touchdowns (16). Based on that production, he was the NFL Offensive Player of the Year.

Kupp's dominance continued into the postseason. He finished with the most receptions ever in a single playoff run (33). He totaled 478 receiving yards and six touchdowns in the postseason, trailing only Larry Fitzgerald (546 receiving yards and seven touchdowns in 2008) in league history. Kupp's eight receptions for 92 receiving yards and two scores in L.A.'s victory in the NFL title game over the Cincinnati Bengals at SoFi Stadium earned him Super Bowl MVP honors.

The slithery slot receiver was well on his way to another great year in 2022 before suffering a high-ankle sprain in mid-November. He elected to have surgery to repair the issue, with the hope that he could return by the end of the season. Kupp had 75 receptions for 812 receiving yards and six touchdowns through nine games before the injury. That's 1,533 receiving yards if extrapolated out over a 17-game season.

But Kupp's 10.8 yards per catch in 2022, down from 13.4 in 2021, is a concerning number. The Rams lack depth and experience in a receiving room that includes Van Jefferson, Tutu Atwell, Ben Skowronek and rookie Puka Nacua, along with free-agent veteran pickups Tyler Johnson and Demarcus Robinson. L.A. needs Kupp to return as a true No. 1 receiver, one who can still create explosive plays down the field.

The Rams averaged just 18.1 points per contest and a league-worst 280.5 total yards last season. Kupp returning to his productive ways would improve both of those numbers.

Can Cam Akers be the engine of the offense?

Upset with his diminishing role in the offense, the Florida State product was almost traded during the 2022 season. However, Akers turned things around in the second half, leading the NFL in rushing from Week 13 to the end of the regular season with 512 rushing yards, including at least 100 in each of L.A.'s final three games against the Broncos, Chargers and Seahawks.

Akers finally appeared fully healthy after suffering through a sophomore season that saw his explosive playmaking ability wane after his return from an Achilles tear just before the start of training camp in 2021.

The Rams need Akers to return to the angry runner he was his rookie season to add balance to the offense. Los Angeles also brought back veteran runner Sony Michel. Kyren Williams, Ronnie Rivers and sixth-round selection Zach Evans fill out the running back room behind Akers.

How do the Rams keep QB Matthew Stafford healthy?

There were reports that that Rams were looking to trade Stafford this offseason and that he opposed restructuring his $160 million contract. But he's back, even after a lingering elbow issue and a bruised spinal cord cut short his 2022 season, the 35-year-old QB still has the arm strength to push the ball down the field and create chunk plays.

Rams reportedly tried to trade QB Matthew Stafford

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The important question for the Rams is: Can they keep Stafford upright this season? That certainly was not the case last year, as the Rams allowed 59 sacks, third-most in the NFL. Lack of continuity was the main culprit. The Rams played 14 different starting offensive line combinations in 2022, including five different players at right guard and four different players at left tackle.

Los Angeles drafted Steve Avila in the second round to help shore things up inside at left guard. Last year's third-round selection, Logan Bruss, returns from a season-ending knee injury suffered in training camp last season to compete for the starting right guard job.

And the hope is that Stafford and Kupp can reestablish the chemistry that made them one of the top quarterback-wide receiver combinations in the NFL. During the team's Super Bowl run, Stafford and Kupp connected on 22 scores, second-most in league history behind Tom Brady and Randy Moss (24) in 2007.

How will Raheem Morris rebuild the defense around Aaron Donald?

The Rams lost several productive players on defense via free agency, trade or outright release. Jalen Ramsey, Bobby Wagner, Leonard Floyd, Taylor Rapp, A'Shawn Robinson, Greg Gaines and Nick Scott will all be playing elsewhere in 2023.

Defensive coordinator Raheem Morris is tasked with putting together a defense featuring young, developmental prospects built around Aaron Donald, who played a career-low 11 games last season due to a high-ankle sprain. The Rams do have talented inside linebacker Ernest Jones and some other young players they like to help support Donald, including safety Jordan Fuller, slot defender Cobie Durant and defensive lineman Michael Hoecht.

But it will be on Donald, still one of the best players in the game, and Jones to provide the leadership and motivation for this defensive rebuild.

Is Sean McVay in it for the long haul?

For a second straight offseason, McVay toyed with the idea of moving on from coaching for a TV gig. Ultimately, he decided to embrace what the team is calling a "remodel" but what NFL observers believe is a rebuild after a nightmarish 5-12 season.

Who could blame the 37-year-old McVay for wanting to take a break from coaching? He and his wife, Veronika Khomyn, are expecting their first child, and they are dealing with the constant anxiety of Khomyn's family living in harm's way with the ongoing war in Ukraine.

And it may take the Rams years to get back to a playoff-caliber roster. They started the process by making several financial moves this offseason to get their salary cap in order after executing aggressive transactions over the years that helped them win a Super Bowl.

McVay acknowledged he lost his way and did not enjoy coaching last year. However, he seems to have wrapped his arms around the arduous task of getting the Rams back to their winning ways.

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.

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