Rams' Cooper Kupp Will Return to Practice After Week 4 amid Hamstring Injury Recovery

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp will return to practice next week, head coach Sean McVay told reporters Friday.

Kupp has missed the first three Rams' games of the season after suffering a hamstring injury August 1. He will be eligible to return in Week 5.

The team will "100 percent" consider the former All-Pro receiver's opinion on his readiness before activating him, McVay said.

After Kupp is activated from IR, he can practice for up to 21 days before he must be activated to the 53-man roster or sit out the rest of the season.

McVay said that the Rams' "hope" is that Kupp will be available by Week 5, but a return to practice does not necessarily mean the wide receiver will be activated right away.

"When you're talking about returning to performance and returning to play, those are different things," McVay said, per ESPN's Sarah Barshop. "And we want him to be able to return to performance at the level he's capable of."

McVay described Kupp's hamstring injury in early September as something that "doesn't follow the standard protocol for when you're re-aggravating a soft tissue injury," per USA Today's Cameron DaSilva.

"We're continuing to take it a day at a time," McVay said. "I know he's doing everything in his power to be able to get himself ready to go and get out there with his teammates, and hopefully next week will represent that."

Since leading the NFL in receptions and receiving yards in 2021, Kupp has now been limited by injuries for two consecutive seasons. After suffering a season-ending ankle injury midway through the 2022 season, the receiver is set to miss his 13th consecutive game Sunday.

There is potential Matthew Stafford could be throwing to the Kupp October 8 when Rams take on the Philadelphia Eagles at home. Whether Kupp is fully active in practice next week could show the likelihood of that happening.

In the meantime, the Rams will continue to lean on rookie Puka Nacua and Tutu Atwell, as well as tight end Tyler Higbee, to haul down passes from Stafford when the Rams take on the Indianapolis Colts this weekend.