Health has not been new Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Cooper Kupp's best friend. In fact, over the last few seasons, it's been his worst enemy. The Seahawks are banking on that not being a problem in his first or any years with Seattle, but it's a risk they took in signing him to a three-year deal.
Because of the injuries, his performance has been down over the last few years, particularly last season. Missed games and the continued good play of Puka Nacua (who also had some ailments) helped Kupp to a pretty bad year, but he's primed for a breakout, according to Yardbarker's Seth Trachtman.
"Three straight injury-plagued seasons were enough for the Rams, who moved on from Kupp in the offseason. He's hoping to find his old form with the rival Seahawks and will be a key piece to Sam Darnold's development after moving over from Minnesota," Trachtman said.
Other bounce-back candidates named were Kyle Pitts, Derrick Brown, DJ Moore, Dak Prescott, Aidan Hutchinson, Jordan Love, C.J. Stroud, and Chris Olave, so Kupp is in some good company here. The expectation is that his talent hasn't waned and his health should be better.
Plus, he remains an integral part of the offense. He's not going to be the WR1, as that will be Jaxon Smith-Njigba (which might be ideal for Kupp anyway), but he will be the WR2. He's not dropping on the depth chart, and with Darnold potentially relying on someone like Kupp, the usage will certainly be there. If the health is, too, then so will the performance for the one-time Super Bowl MVP.
