The Los Angeles Rams will be looking to pick up where they left off before the bye with a win against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 10, but they will need to do it without wide receiver Brandin Cooks as the team announced he has been ruled out with a concussion.
Cooks sustained a hit to the head early in the Rams’ Week 8 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in London and was not able to return to the game. The Rams have yet to reveal a potential timetable for his return while he continues to see a number of specialists for treatment.
Unfortunately, the 26-year-old is no stranger to head injuries and it is clear that Los Angeles is making sure to do its due diligence before even considering a looming return. It seems he will still be able to make the trip to Pittsburgh since that is where the doctor is coincidentally located.
Head coach Sean McVay revealed that while he will be in Pittsburgh to see the specialist, he will likely return home to Los Angeles before the game starts.
Cooks’ absence undoubtedly leaves a rather notable void in the Rams’ receiving corps. Regardless, it should hardly come as any surprise to see that the team is taking every precaution they can to determine the best road to recovery given his track record with head injuries.
Cooks is in the midst of a quiet 2019 NFL season as part of this talented trio in Los Angeles with 27 receptions for 402 yards and a touchdown, however, there is no denying that he brings a much-needed element of explosiveness to the offense. The speedster remains an integral part of their passing attack, which is why it is so crucial for the team to ensure he will be good to go down the stretch and into the playoffs.
The onus will now fall on the rest of the Rams’ pass-catchers to help pick up the slack while Cooks is sidelined. Wide receivers Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp have become accustomed to stepping up when one of their own goes down. Kupp is still currently third in the league in receiving yards coming out of the bye week (792). Wide receiver Josh Reynolds and tight end Gerald Everett could also see an uptick in targets for the time being.
