Rams head coach Sean McVay and right tackle Rob Havenstein each held video conferences with local media Monday afternoon, with McVay covering the latest injury updates and Havenstein discussing coming back from injury and returning to the field, among other important topics. Here are some of the highlights and key takeaways from those virtual conversations.
"(Cooper Kupp) does not have an ankle sprain." – McVay
- McVay refuted a report from yesterday that Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp sustained a low-ankle sprain in Saturday's scrimmage, saying Kupp had pre-existing soreness in his lower leg.
- There was a specific play during the scrimmage when Kupp communicated he was feeling that soreness, according to McVay, so the team had Kupp get an X-ray taken for precautionary reasons. The X-ray came back negative.
- "We are going to be monitoring him, but he's feeling good," McVay said, adding that Kupp was pulled from the scrimmage to ensure he's as healthy as possible for L.A.'s Sept. 13 season-opener against the Dallas Cowboys.
"(Darrell Henderson Jr. is) making progress." – McVay
- Asked about the status of Darrell Henderson Jr. (hamstring), McVay said the second-year running back is currently day-to-day.
- Though Henderson is progressing, the team is bringing him along slowly. Given how tricky soft tissue injuries can be, McVay said he didn't want to rush him back and risk setting him back further.
- McVay said ideally Henderson will be able to "get some work in toward the latter-half of the week."
"We are going to phase (Taylor Rapp) back into practice this week." – McVay
- Second-year safety Taylor Rapp will practice this week, per McVay.
- Asked if he feels any apprehension about inserting Rapp into a starting lineup despite limited reps in the new defense, McVay said they aren't going to make decisions like that right now. Should other defensive back need to step up, though, McVay is confident in them because of the amount of reps they've gotten in training camp during Rapp's absence.
"It's definitely good to be back out there." – Havenstein
- Havenstein is happy to be on the practice field again after dealing with a knee injury late in the 2019 season.
- Left tackle Andrew Whitworth previously shared how happy he's been to see Havenstein perform well in camp because the two trained together in the offseason and he knows how hard Havenstein worked to get to this point.
- Asked today about those offseason workouts in Whitworth's home gym, Havenstein said it was a beneficial environment to be in because of how the offensive linemen pushed each other and held each other accountable. It also helped him stay on track with his rehab and offseason workouts when gyms and facilities shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
