Rams' Kupp won't play Week 1 due to hamstring injury

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp won't play Week 1 against the Seattle Seahawks due to a hamstring injury, head coach Sean McVay announced Wednesday, according to Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic.

Kupp recently said he was on track to play L.A.'s opener before suffering a setback that had him listed as day-to-day. The 2021 Offensive Player of the Year was in Minnesota this week to see a specialist for his latest injury.

"Not much more information ... just dealing with some soft-tissue stuff," McVay said Wednesday.

The Rams aren't ruling out the possibility of placing Kupp on injured reserve.

"We want him to be out there, but we don't want to rush it," McVay added, according to Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times.

Kupp's absence is a huge blow to a Rams team that went 5-12 last year. The 30-year-old has led the club in receiving in five of the last six seasons, including the last four.

The 2017 third-round pick posted a historic campaign in 2021 after leading the NFL in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdown catches en route to earning a first-team All-Pro berth. Kupp couldn't replicate that production in 2022, though, as an ankle injury limited him to only nine games. He caught 75 passes for 812 yards and six touchdowns during the 2022 campaign.

With Kupp ruled out, Van Jefferson, Tutu Atwell, and Ben Skowronek will presumably be quarterback Matthew Stafford's main wide receivers against the Seahawks. The Rams' offense also features tight end Tyler Higbee, who led the team with 108 targets in 2022.

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