The Los Angeles Rams are still waiting for the 2023 NFL season debut of star wide receiver Cooper Kupp. It appears that Kupp is getting close to returning to action. In fact, Los Angeles has already designated Kupp to return to practice. The 30-year-old wide receiver was put on the injured list just before LA's 2023 season-opener against the Seattle Seahawks due to a hamstring issue that is said to be not as serious as previously thought, according to Dianna Russini of The Athletic.

“WR Cooper Kupp is pushing to play against the Eagles. The Rams of course want to use Kupp on those deep over routes and will test it out to see if he can get close to max speed. The better news, I'm told the injury was not as serious (in terms of long term) as initially feared.”

As it stands, the Week 5 action against the reigning NFC champions at home this coming Sunday is the target for return for Kupp. The Rams are coming off a thrilling 29-23 overtime victory last Sunday on the road over the Indianapolis Colts to get back to .500 after losing consecutive games to the San Francisco  49ers and the Cincinnati Bengals in Weeks 2 and 3.

Rams passing offense is surviving without Cooper Kupp

Rams, Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp, Sean McVay, Rams Seahawks

There is no denying that the Rams will always be a better team with Kupp healthy and on the field. That being said, Matthew Stafford and the Rams' offense have managed to keep its head above water during the absence of Kupp in large part because of the surprising consistent performance downfield by wideout Puka Nacua, who leads Los Angeles with 501 receiving yards to go with a touchdown on 39 receptions and 52 targets. Tutu Atwell has also stepped up and produced nicely for the Rams' passing attack that is second overall in the league with an average of 288.8 yards per game. He has 270 receiving yards with a touchdown through four games.

If Cooper Kupp gets cleared to play against the Eagles, Los Angeles gets its most dangerous offensive weapon to try and help the team take advantage of Philly's seemingly leaky defense against the pass.