'He's Locked In': Rams WR Cooper Kupp Impressed With New Teammate Allen Robinson
Cooper Kupp's word inside the Los Angeles Rams complex could be considered golden at this point. If he believes in a player and their progress, it's time for the outside world to start changing the narrative.
Days into OTAs and Kupp has continued to be impressed with new receiver Allen Robinson. He's a veteran, so routes and hand-eye coordination should be second-nature at this point. Those aren't the things Kupp continues to see throughout practice.
Maturity. High IQ. Humility. All traits needed for a new player to make an immediate impact. All areas Kupp has seen Robinson impress in.
“His football aptitude is incredible,” Kupp said on Monday. “His willingness to spend the time here and learning this thing. … He doesn’t want to just know the offense, he wants to understand the offense."
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Robinson, who signed a three-year, $45 million deal, is expected to be the No. 2 option behind Kupp. He's been a Pro Bowler and posted high-end numbers in both Jacksonville and Chicago, respectively. At times, he's looked the part of a top 20 receiver.
One of the biggest downfalls to Robinson's rep from the more national perspective has been out of his control. Since college, quarterback play has been mundane at best toward his numbers. From Christian Hackenberg at Penn State to Blake Bortles in Jacksonville and later Mitch Trubisky in Chicago, all have hampered Robinson's production.
Justin Fields could have the missing link, but Robinson wasn't sticking around to find out more. Year 1 wasn't pretty for the Ohio State alum. Injuries limited him to 12 games and 10 starts, but the production wasn't what's expected from a top-15 pick. Fields finished with 1,870 passing yards and seven touchdowns against 10 interceptions.
Kupp, who took home Offensive Player of the Year honors in February, said he studied Robinson's tape for years before calling him a teammate. One thing that stuck out was his level of consistency regardless of his quarterback. Another was his ability to win in contested catches.
"He’s a lot bigger than I think people think that he is. He’s a big dude that can do a lot of things that smaller receivers do,” Kupp said. “I’m excited about being about to have someone like that, who can do those things, be a big body, big target.
Rams' coach Sean McVay has also been paying attention to Robinson since the start of camp. His expectations are high for the No. 2 target come this fall, and they should be after his level of success thus far.
"He’s wired to be able to double-up, play underneath himself," McVay said Monday. "Some of those bigger guys who play as big as he does typically don’t have the ability to get in and out of their breaks as seamlessly as he does. But I think his transition in and out of breaks, how smooth he is for how big he is physically, it’s been very exciting."
Jan 30, 2022; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp (10) catches a pass against the San Francisco 49ers in the first half during the NFC Championship Game at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp (10) scores the go ahead touchdown as Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Eli Apple (20) defends in the fourth quarter during Super Bowl 56, Sunday, Feb. 13, 2022, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. Nfl Super Bowl 56 Los Angeles Rams Vs Cincinnati Bengals Feb 13 2022 Albert Cesare 3765
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Fans will have to wait until likely training camp before Robinson is hauling in passes from quarterback Matthew Stafford. One of the reasons Robinson, a native of Michigan, elected to join Los Angeles was due to his infatuation growing up watching Stafford shined with the Lions.
The good news for Stafford is that Robinson should be caught up to speed with the nuances of McVay's offense. Then again, Kupp might think he's already there.
"There’s a difference between knowing what to do and knowing how to do it," Kupp said. "And he wants to know how to do it and how to do it as efficiently as possible, as effectively as possible. So I’ve got a great appreciation for that.”
