The glass is half empty for Cooper Kupp.
The Rams are something of a wild card entering the 2023 season. While some would agree they're closer to a rebuild than a Super Bowl run, they still boast talent in key spots across the field.
Kupp, the Super Bowl 56 MVP and former first-team All-Pro, is one of the stars who remain from their Super Bowl run in 2021, but injuries plagued his 2022 season, and the bug has followed him into 2023. Kupp missed eight games with an ankle injury, a season that saw LA finish 5-12, this coming in their Super Bowl-defending season.
MORE: How Matthew Stafford almost wasn't a Ram heading into the 2023 season
Now, a hamstring injury has caused Kupp to miss over a month of practice time leading up to the Rams' season opener, and the latest update doesn't paint a particularly rosy picture for his return to the field sooner rather than later.
Here's the latest on Kupp's ailing hamstring, and when you may expect to see him on the field this year:
Cooper Kupp injury update
Kupp will start the season on injured reserve, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, meaning he will miss at least four games.
Rams are placing standout WR Cooper Kupp on injured reserve due to his lingering hamstring issues, per league sources. Kupp now will be sidelined a minimum of four games, starting with Sunday’s regular-season opener at Seattle. pic.twitter.com/T3ZWEZmUt3
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 9, 2023
On Sept. 2, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that Kupp is visiting a body specialist in Minnesota to determine the cause and underlying root of his hamstring injury.
Kupp originally suffered a hamstring tweak in August, and he would suffer a setback in late August that resulted in a visit to a specialist. While Sean McVay only labeled Kupp's injury as "day-to-day" after his setback, the fact Kupp was visiting a specialist didn't bode well for his early-season availability.
The Rams will now be without their top offensive weapon until at least Week 5.
Will Cooper Kupp play in Week 1?
Saturday's decision to place Kupp on IR eliminated any chance of Kupp playing in Week 1, or in any of the Rams' following three games.
McVay recently indicated that the Rams are willing to wait until Kupp is 100 percent, rather than simply able to play.
"There's a difference between return to play and return to performance," McVay said, per ESPN. "We want return to performance for Cooper Kupp. We know how special a player, special of a person, and so we want to make sure we are smart with that and getting him back to feeling like the Cooper Kupp we all know and that he's able to play the way that he's capable of, whenever that is.
McVay said Week 1 was out of their control, and the decision to place Kupp on IR takes it out of their hands until Week 5 at the earliest.
Kupp will miss games against the Seahawks, 49ers, Bengals and Colts. If he returns in Week 5, the reigning NFC champion Eagles would be awaiting.
Kupp is no stranger to missing time. He's suffered ACL, ankle, thigh and knee injuries, all to his left leg, throughout his NFL career. He most recently missed eight games in 2022 with an ankle sprain.