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New Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Tyler Johnson found a way to make proficient use of his iPad time before his official signing, one that involved him avoiding catching up on Netflix shows or spending several hours scrolling social media.
The incoming fourth-year wideout shared with Heavy that during a time he was with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Houston Texans, he was studying a past Super Bowl Most Valuable Player through the device to inspire his own game at wide receiver — his eventual future teammate Cooper Kupp.
“I’ve been able to watch him for the past few years especially with me being on my iPad and studying the game,” Johnson said following his Wednesday, June 14 practice in Thousand Oaks. “Cooper is a great receiver. He pays attention to a lot of details. And that’s something that I’ve noticed being in a room with him.”
Johnson Aims to Learn More From the 2021 Triple Crown Leader
Johnson has spent two weeks with the Rams as a late post June 1 signing and was brought in during voluntary practices. He didn’t get a chance to be inside a huddle with Kupp until the 2021 All-Pro made his workout appearance for mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, June 13.
He’s gone from watching Kupp through his near 13-inch mobile device to now studying the game in the same WR room alongside the Super Bowl 56 MVP. And being in the presence of Kupp energizes Johnson moving forward in his new chapter with the Rams, including going from studying him to now learning from him on the same field.
“I just can’t wait to continue to be around him and continue to get coached up by him and learning the little things,” Johnson said. “It’s also always good to be coached up by your teammates, especially when they’re doing great in this league.”
Kupp became a model of consistency for wideouts like Johnson to follow in 2021. Kupp’s work ethic, route releases and astronomical production helped give younger receivers like Johnson a new blueprint to follow in how to dominate defenses.
Kupp himself will now attempt to recapture the form that turned him into both the league leader in all three receiving categories and earning the top award in the Super Bowl. His ’22 season ended with an ankle injury that left him with 75 catches, 812 yards and six touchdowns across nine games.
Kupp Not the First Pro Bowler Johnson Gets to be Next to
Johnson has been fortunate enough to play alongside two Pro Bowl talents in his first two seasons in the league with Tom Brady and Mike Evans, constantly learning from both and elevating his own game as a young wide receiver.
A bulk of his time, though, was spent in rooms with the latter — who holds four Pro Bowl appearances and his own Super Bowl ring alongside Johnson.
“It was amazing. Mike is a great guy. Mike is a brother to me. Thankful I was able to be around him,” Johnson said.
The focus now shifts to gaining nuggets from Kupp outside of his iPad, and taking elements from Kupp’s game and incorporating it into his.
“You can still get bits and pieces of other people’s games. I feel like being a receiver is all about learning — learning what you can do and learning what you can be better at,” Johnson said. “I’d like to steal tools from everybody, and that’s what makes somebody want to be a great receiver.”
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New Rams Wideout Reveals the Super Bowl MVP He Studied on His iPad