The Los Angeles Rams made the surprising decision this week to part ways with veteran return man Pharoh Cooper after two-plus seasons with the franchise.
It was a move that didn't have any precursors as there hadn't been any indication that his spot on the team had been on the bubble. Head coach Sean McVay indicated on Wednesday that it is a tough decision for the franchise to make that didn't come down to what Cooper was doing but rather what the needed on the roster, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
“It was a tough decision,” coach Sean McVay told reporters on Wednesday. “So much respect for what Pharoh has done here. He was a Pro Bowl player and really, as a returner in both kick and punt return last year. Was really just impressed with the way that he’s handled himself coming back from the injury. It was really more just a numbers thing than anything else when you figure, how do you get your 46[-man roster] up. With us having two of our three running backs banged up right now, we felt like that was a position of need and that was kind of the decision that went into it. But it wasn’t anything that he didn’t do. Pharoh couldn’t have handled it in a more class manner. He’s a great competitor and I wish him nothing but the best.”
Cooper had established himself as a huge asset in the special teams as their primary returner for kickoffs and punts, but a leg injury that occurred in the season opener against the Oakland Raiders forced him to be shelved for much of the year on the injured reserve. Since coming back, he hadn't regained his job away from JoJo Natson, who has been the primary return man in his absence.
This move may have become necessary with star running back dealing with some leg injuries that have prevented him from being a bigger factor on the field. It has allowed them to bring aboard a potentially huge asset in the backfield with C.J. Anderson with a chance for him to play an important role. This is one that backup Malcolm Brown had fulfilled effectively prior to being placed on the season-ending injured reserve.
Nonetheless, it was a decision that McVay had made that was necessary for the team that had to cut Cooper's time with Los Angeles short.
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