Rams Place Cooper Kupp On IR, Will Miss Minimum Of 4 Games

Los Angeles Rams fans were probably bracing for this, but it appears to be happening: Cooper Kupp has been placed on IR.

While Kupp had already been ruled out of Sunday's game in Seattle, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that the receiver is still battling a hamstring injury. His move to the IR means he will not only miss Sunday's game but the next three as well.

Missing the first four games means that Kupp will miss meetings with the 49ers, Bengals, and Colts. If everything goes according to plan, the earliest Kupp could return to the lineup is October 8. That's when the Rams host the Eagles.

Rams head coach Sean McVay announced that Kupp would not be in the lineup for the team's season opener earlier this week.

"It wasn't the normal thing. There's just a lot of gray behind this," McVay said of Kupp's injury, per NFL.com. "I'm not a doctor, so I can't really answer anything more about that. I just know it doesn't follow the standard protocol for when you're reaggravating a soft-tissue injury. (We are) trying to continue to get a grasp on exactly what it is so he can get back to feeling like the Cooper that we know and love. Hopefully, we'll do that."

However, this news means that Kupp's lingering hamstring troubles will force him to miss a minimum of 12 straight games dating back to last season.

Injuries were a common theme for the Rams during the 2022 season. That was one of the biggest causes of their follow-up to their Super Bowl LVI-winning season being a bust. Unfortunately, it's looking like that could be carrying over into the 2023 season.

Follow on X: @Matt_Reigle