National Football League

Rams' Cooper Kupp out Week 1 against Seahawks per Sean McVay

Published Sep. 6, 2023 6:21 p.m. ET

Cooper Kupp's return to the field will have to wait at least one more week, as Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay said Wednesday that the star wide receiver will be inactive for the team's Week 1 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks due to a hamstring injury.

McVay said the Rams are considering whether to put Kupp on injured reserve for at least four weeks. The Super Bowl LVI MVP injured his hamstring during training camp in early August, and he had a setback last week. McVay said putting Kupp on injured reserve is "a possibility. We’ll look into that. We want to just give him a little bit of time. We don’t have to make that decision quite yet."

Kupp, who turned 30 in June, went to Minnesota over the weekend to see a specialist about his injury, which isn’t responding typically to treatment. McVay ruled out his top receiver after meeting with him Wednesday morning.

"Really not much more information," McVay said. "Just dealing with some soft-tissue stuff, just trying to get him to feel back to normal. When that ends up occurring, we’ll have him back, but in the meantime, he will not be playing for us."

The wideout's 2022 campaign was cut short after nine games due to a high ankle sprain. Kupp then had surgery for the sprained ankle but suffered a hamstring injury this summer.

"(Kupp) wants to be out there with his teammates, and he puts so much into it," McVay said. "It’s so unfortunate. It’s been frustrating."

Across the nine games he appeared in last season, Kupp totaled 75 receptions for 812 yards and six touchdowns. The season prior, which saw the Rams win Super Bowl LVI, Kupp reeled in an astounding 145 receptions for 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns, all best in the NFL.

Los Angeles is coming off a 5-12 season which saw a handful of veterans like Kupp, Aaron Donald and Matthew Stafford miss substantial time due to injury.

The Rams' Week 1 battle against the Seahawks kicks off on Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET and will air on FOX. Seattle swept the season series with Los Angeles last season.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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