THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP) Los Angeles Rams receiver Brandin Cooks won’t play Sunday against Pittsburgh while he seeks further medical help for his second concussion in a month.
Cooks was ruled out by Rams coach Sean McVay on Wednesday in the wake of at least his fifth concussion during his six-year NFL career.
Cooks was hurt Oct. 27 during the Rams’ win over Cincinnati in London, and he has not cleared the NFL’s concussion protocol. He flew to Pittsburgh on Wednesday for the second time since his latest injury to meet with specialists.
”There’s no setbacks or anything like that,” McVay said. ”It’s all moving in the right direction, but you can’t be smart enough with the human being, more than anything, with something like this. That’s the precautionary measures we’re taking, and he feels good about it.”
Cooks first went into the concussion protocol this season during the Rams’ loss to Seattle on Oct. 3 after a hit from Seahawks safety Tedric Thompson. Cooks returned swiftly from that injury, but McVay says the Rams are being cautious.
Josh Reynolds is likely to start in Cooks’ place when the Rams (5-3) return from their bye week to face the Steelers (4-4). McVay isn’t guessing what Cooks’ future holds.
”I think he did feel a lot better (after) the first visit to Pittsburgh to get some clarity on maybe why I have some of these things occur, (and) what can we do from a preventative maintenance standpoint to alleviate maybe the risk for these occurring in the future,” McVay said. ”And if this is something that’s not going to inhibit his ability moving forward, then that’s where you start saying, `All right, what are the next steps to getting him back on the field?”’
Cooks has 27 receptions for 402 yards and a touchdown in eight games for Los Angeles this season. While Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods have more total catches, Cooks serves as the Rams’ biggest deep threat and repeatedly makes important grabs for a powerhouse offense that hasn’t matched last season’s potency.
Although Cooks has been a consistent receiver throughout his NFL career, he has been evaluated for concussions at least four times in the past two years.
Cooks had suffered at least three concussions before this season. He was knocked out of the Super Bowl with a concussion while he played for the New England Patriots in February 2018, and he had a concussion while playing for New Orleans as a second-year pro in 2015.
The Rams traded a first-round pick to New England last year as part of the deal to acquire Cooks, and they signed him to a five-year, $81 million contract extension with $20.5 million guaranteed before he had even played in a game for them.
Cooks was solid for the Rams last season, making 80 receptions for a career-high 1,204 yards receiving and five touchdowns during the regular season. He also had three productive playoff games, making 19 total catches.
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