Rams Pro Bowl Kick Returner Pharoh Cooper to Undergo Surgery on Ankle Injury

The Los Angeles Rams' Monday victory over the Oakland Raiders came at a cost, as kick returner and wide receiver Pharoh Cooper is headed to injured reserve with an ankle injury.

Head coach Sean McVay revealed as much while noting Cooper will undergo surgery, per Greg Beacham of the Associated Press.

This comes after McVay said Cooper could be out for "at least a few weeks," per Rich Hammond of the Los Angeles Daily News.

Myles Simmons of the Rams' official website noted Cooper could return from injured reserve later in the season. Simmons also reported Los Angeles signed wide receiver and returner JoJo Natson to help fill the special teams void.

Backup returner Mike Thomas also suffered an injury in Monday's win, so the Rams were hard pressed for options with Cooper sidelined. Hammond pointed out why having a regular member of the receiver corps returning kicks would be a problem:

Enter Natson, who returned kicks for the Rams during the preseason before the team released him.

As for Cooper, he has been a Rams playmaker since they drafted him with a fourth-round pick in 2016. He was a Pro Bowler last season with 932 yards and a touchdown as a kick returner and 399 yards as a punt returner.