Rams' Cooper Kupp Injury Update: Joint Practice Status vs. Raiders Revealed
The Los Angeles Rams are set for their first round of joint practices this preseason, with the Las Vegas Raiders traveling to L.A. for sessions on Wednesday and Thursday leading into Saturday night's preseason game.
Joint practices present an opportunity for both sides to get representative work in a non-game setting; Rams coach Sean McVay has notoriously not played his starters during the preseason, making this the first time many of Los Angeles' first-team players will face a different opponent this fall.
But not expected to be among that group for the Rams is star receiver Cooper Kupp, who suffered a hamstring injury during practice on Aug. 1 and is still working his way back to full health.
When asked about Kupp's status for the joint practices, McVay shared that he didn't have official confirmation and likely wouldn't until talking with vice president of sports medicine and performance Reggie Scott but did offer his best guess based on the latest information he had at his disposal.
“I would say it's more likely that he will not (practice), but I don't have any clarity on that," McVay said. "Once I talk to Reggie, I'll have a better idea. I would think Denver's probably a more realistic goal but there is a chance. He's feeling good and making good progress, but I don't know if we'll have him go this week.”
After playing the Raiders on Saturday, the Rams will get a chance to regroup before heading to Denver for two more joint practices with the Broncos, once again leading into a Saturday preseason game.
Last week, McVay said the Rams are taking it a day at a time with Kupp, putting an emphasis on having him feel "totally good" with controlled movements.
The goal for both sides is to have Kupp return to the level of performance he's capable of, not just putting him back on the practice field at the earliest possible date. In essence, Los Angeles is more than comfortable playing the long game with Kupp, so long as it means he'll be himself come the season opener on Sept. 10.
But if McVay's recent injury update is any indication, it seems like Kupp will be ready to go much sooner than that ... even if it's not this week against the Raiders.
You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @ByDanielFlick
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