LOS ANGELES -- Since Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp sprained his ankle in Week 2, head coach Sean McVay has been clear that he didn't want to place "any sort of expectations" on the receiver for a timeline to return.
Before the Rams' Week 6 bye, McVay said the team's "optimistic target date" for a possible Kupp return was Week 7 against the Las Vegas Raiders (4:05 p.m. ET, CBS), "but by no means is that guaranteed."
Now that Week 7 approaches and Kupp has returned to practice, the Rams are weighing whether their hope for a return to the field can come true on Sunday.
Given that Kupp has been through the rehab process prior to this injury, McVay said, "he knows what it looks like to have his body in alignment to return to performance, not just return to play."
For McVay, it's clear that it wouldn't just be a matter of when Kupp was healthy enough to be on the field, but when he could return to the level of performance the Rams have come to expect from the star receiver. It's something the Rams have witnessed before and hope to learn from.
Last season, Kupp missed the first four games with a hamstring injury. Kupp played in the next 12 games before sitting out the last regular season game because the Rams had already clinched a playoff spot.
Kupp spent the offseason rehabbing, saying before the start of the season that it had been awhile since he felt this healthy going into a season.
"Just being able to go do what you want to do, being able to mentally see something but not have your body respond and do what you want it to do, that's tough," Kupp said in September.
In 12 games, Kupp had 59 catches for 737 yards and 5 touchdowns -- numbers that would have represented a solid full season for any WR. Kupp finished the season ranked 50th in the NFL in receiving yards, despite missing five games. McVay said Wednesday that there were moments after the receiver returned that he looked like the player the team was used to seeing.
"I think there was moments, absolutely," McVay said when asked if he felt Kupp got back to the return to performance last season. "I think the thing that's special about him is -- and he'd be the one that's equipped to tell you exactly how he felt -- I think there was moments where you say, 'Alright, he's feeling like he's at full strength.' I know there was some times that he was playing that he wasn't.
An added wrinkle to Kupp's much anticipated return is that after the Rams' Week 7 home game against the Las Vegas Raiders, they have a quick turnaround to host the Minnesota Vikings four days later on Thursday Night Football (8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video).
McVay said Wednesday that while the Rams are mindful of that scenario, they wouldn't hold Kupp out for Sunday because of that reason.
"If he's going to be ready to go, then we want him to play and if not, then we're hopeful that Thursday would be the day that he does," McVay said.
But if Kupp can play -- whether that's Sunday against the Raiders or Thursday against the Vikings -- there's no doubt his presence will make an impact for the Rams' passing game, which is ranked 18th in DVOA.
"He does everything for us," quarterback Matthew Stafford said. "He blocks, he obviously is great in the pass game. He's super intelligent, helps everybody around him be better and whenever that happens we'll be, obviously, excited to have him back."