Rams' Sean McVay Expects Cooper Kupp to Return from Hamstring Injury for Week 5

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay expects star wide receiver Cooper Kupp to return from a hamstring injury when he's first eligible to come off injured reserve in Week 5 against the Philadelphia Eagles.

"That's the hope," McVay told reporters Wednesday.

McVay added that Kupp is "ramping up his workload" and "progressing" since landing on injured reserve to begin the season.

"The reason that we put him on IR was so that, you know that if it's going to be those four weeks that he's mandated to be able to miss, and then we can take him off of the IR and be available for that fifth week, that was the reason that we made that decision that we did," McVay told reporters of Kupp last week.

Kupp injured his hamstring early in training camp and was ruled out for the team's first four games of the season after suffering a setback in his recovery from the ailment.

Having the 30-year-old unavailable for the first four games of the season has already proven to be a tough blow for the Rams' offense despite the team averaging the fourth-most passing yards per game in the NFL.

The Rams sit third in the NFC West with a 1-2 record and are coming off a brutal 19-16 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday in which quarterback Matthew Stafford threw for just one touchdown against two interceptions.

Fifth-round rookie wide receiver Puka Nacua has been Stafford's top target this season—which has come as a surprise—alongside Tutu Atwell and tight end Tyler Higbee. Van Jefferson, meanwhile, has been underwhelming and could eventually be out of the lineup once Kupp returns.

Although Kupp appeared in just nine games in 2022 due to a high-ankle sprain, he's still one of the most dynamic wide receivers in the NFL. He caught 75 passes for 812 yards and six touchdowns last season after winning the Offensive Player of the Year award in 2021 with 1,947 receiving yards and 16 scores.

Kupp's potential reintegration into the lineup in Week 5 couldn't come at a better time for the Rams as the Eagles are allowing the seventh-most passing yards per game in the league this season.

L.A. will take on the Colts on Sunday before beginning to prepare for Philadelphia.