Getty Cooper Kupp stays inbounds on October 16, 2022 in Inglewood.
There are NFL insiders already believing that Cooper Kupp is due for a big 2023 season — but meaning it’ll be big because of the belief he has little help around him on the Los Angeles Rams.
Bill Barnwell of ESPN evaluated the state of the Rams’ 2023 playmakers room on Monday, June 26. The NFL insider is one who has given low expectations for the teammates outside of the Super Bowl 56 Most Valuable Player — giving the Rams a 23rd overall ranking ahead of the upcoming season.
“As is the case for the vast majority of their roster in a reset season, the Rams haven’t added much to what they had a year ago,” Barnwell began. “Wideout Demarcus Robinson, signed earlier this month after a season in Baltimore, might be their most significant free agent addition at any position on the roster. Barring a breakthrough from Tutu Atwell, Lance McCutcheon or rookie fifth-rounder Puka Nacua, L.A. will be almost entirely reliant on Kupp, who just turned 30 two weeks ago.”
‘Lone Positive’ Came From Outside of the WR Room Last Season, Barnwell Says
As Ram fans know quite well, the 2022 season ended in disaster. Barnwell himself watched the Rams implode following their championship celebration. Even Kupp had a down year, which saw him not finish out the season with his ankle injury.
If there was a “lone positive” that he saw, it came from outside of the WR room.
“Unless you’re a football nerd (like me) who really loved Ben Skowronek’s transition from wide receiver to part-time fullback, the lone positive for the Rams didn’t come until the final three weeks of the season, when running back Cam Akers put together his best stretch as a pro,” Barnwell wrote. “Playing behind a patchwork offensive line, the former second-round pick carried the ball 63 times for 345 yards and three scores.
“Late-season streaks aren’t always predicative — Tyler Higbee’s dominant five-game stretch to end 2019 didn’t carry over afterward — but it was a much-needed sign of life for a player who had struggled since tearing an Achilles before the 2021 campaign,” Barnwell said.
Akers is now heading into a deeper RB room that drafted Zach Evans and resigned Sony Michel during the week of June 19.
Analyst Writes 1 Ram Who Can Reclaim Explosive Element Offense Has
Obviously, it becomes easy for insiders or analysts to write off a team coming off a 5-win season — let alone one that may lack the “star power” that fans and media are used to seeing out of the Rams under Sean McVay.
But, there are those who believe that the Rams have someone already on the roster capable of rekindling the explosiveness that was on display from the 2021 season…and it’s a Ram entering season three who fans have hoped can breakout: Tutu Atwell.
Rams analyst Cameron DaSilva for Rams Wire on USA Today wrote on Monday how Atwell can give this offense a spark as a potential No. 3 WR.
“Atwell gives the Rams a true deep threat and a player who can create big gains on short throws. Kupp can do that with his rare after-the-catch ability, but he’s not going to blow by defenders like Atwell,” DaSilva wrote. “By inserting Tutu into the starting offense, he can keep defensive backs honest and threaten the deep part of the field the way Brandin Cooks did for two years in Los Angeles. That opens things up underneath, which has real value even if Atwell isn’t getting targeted 100 times.”
The third-year pro is facing a make-or-break season after being selected in the second round of the 2021 draft. Still, there’s the belief that Atwell is capable of rewriting the narrative of the 2023 Rams playmakers with a breakout 2023.
“He’s by no means a perfect player, but Atwell is capable of creating big plays at a higher rate than someone like Skowronek or Nacua. He just has to keep gaining confidence and getting consistent looks from Stafford,” DaSilva said.