Rams Start OTAs Without Aaron Donald and Cooper Kupp; Why?
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Like others around the NFL, the Los Angeles Rams began OTAs on Monday. But they will start one of the final phases of the offseason without two of their star "pillars" in defensive tackle Aaron Donald and wide receiver Cooper Kupp.
Now, before the alarms are set off around the fanbase about a potential holdout due to contract disputes or concerns about the health of each star, head coach Sean McVay told reporters on Tuesday their absences are nothing to be worried about.
“They had some family stuff that they’re taking care of,” McVay said. “This has been consistent. We knew about this for a long time. These guys are engaged. Aaron was here for the first parts of [the offseason program], but this was always part of the plan to be able to be with his family a little bit and some of the things that he’s got to handle.
And then hopefully sooner rather than later, Cooper and Anna will be expecting their third [child]."
McVay added that despite not attending the first set of OTAs this summer, both players have remained engaged and know the expectations.
As for the expected birth of Kupp's child and what that would mean for the Rams star wide-out, McVay said they would handle that down the road.
“I think we’ll just take that a day at a time,” McVay said. “Whenever he does come back, we’ll be smart with how we kind of onboard him and get him back up to speed. ... But in his absence . . . you’re getting a lot of these younger guys or some of these guys to be able to establish a rapport with Matthew [Stafford]."
McVay named Van Jefferson, Tutu Atwell, Puka Nacua, and Ben Skowronek as the receivers who will get that extra work in with Stafford in Kupp's potential absence. While the Rams would love nothing more than to have everyone in attendance during these workouts, it isn't realistic, as things outside of football are more important.
Yet, as McVay did when speaking about it, the Rams can turn the situation positive by ensuring the guys behind Kupp and Donald have the opportunities to get the reps they need to develop. Then there is the added positive of not having to risk injury to those players after the Rams 2022 season was largely thrown off the rails due to attrition.
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