Among the numerous rookie free agents the Los Angeles Rams signed after the 2019 NFL Draft is a familiar name: Ketner Kupp. Ketner’s brother, Cooper Kupp, was drafted by the Rams in 2017 and has since become one of the best young slot receivers in the NFL.
The elder Kupp is still rehabbing from a torn ACL suffered in the middle of last season but is enjoying the chances he did get to be on the same field as his little brother during the Rams’ offseason organized team activities.
The experience reminded Cooper of the time he and Ketner spent as college teammates at Eastern Washington University, he told Myles Simmons of TheRams.com:
“It’s so much fun, so much fun,” Cooper said at minicamp. “We’ve had just a couple times where I’ve had to block him on defense — kind of a throwback to our college days when we were doing that.”
Ketner played linebacker at EWU, so he spends his time around different Rams teammates and coaches as opposed to his older brother. However, the two have remained close through this experience. Ketner primarily stayed at Cooper’s home near the Rams’ facilities in Thousand Oaks, so the brothers saw plenty of each other off the field:
“He eats a lot of my food at my house, sleeps on my couch almost every night,” Cooper said with a smile. “It’s so much fun — total blessing. Any time you are able to be around family at this point in your life and have family as much as we do, I don’t take that for granted at all. It’s an incredible experience and a blessing for us.”
By living with his brother, Ketner also got some time with his niece, Cooper’s infant daughter, June. Soon, both brothers will head down to UC Irvine for the Rams’ 2019 Training Camp.
Ketner may still be a longshot to crack a linebacker rotation that added veteran Clay Matthews in free agency last spring.
Cooper, however, will return to a heavily involved role in the Rams’ offense once healthy. Along with fellow wideouts Brandin Cooks and Robert Woods, Kupp played a big part in one of the most dangerous offenses in the NFL until his season-ending injury in Week 10 of last year.
Over his two-year NFL career, Cooper Kupp has 1435 yards on 102 receptions, averaging 62.4 yards per game. He has caught 11 total touchdowns.
