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Los Angeles Rams’ wide receiver Brandin Cooks suffered a concussion in Week 5 against the Seattle Seahawks. He quickly cleared protocol and was back out on the field the very next game. Three weeks later, he’d suffer his second concussion of the season in their Week 8 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals in London.
Fans, coaches, and pretty much everyone, are concerned for Cooks’ welfare and especially his well being in a life that goes beyond the field. Cooks, who turned 26 in September, now has five known concussions in his career.
On Thursday he took to Instagram to let the fans know he’s not hanging them up any time soon, and by the sounds of it, plans to return this season.
The Rams’ starting wideout is currently in Pittsburgh where he’s meeting with concussion specialists for the second time. From Wednesday, Rams’ Head Coach Sean McVay:
The first visit was very beneficial, got a lot of good information that I think gives him a peace of mind, gives us a clear-cut idea of, ‘All right, how do we want to continue to progress moving forward?’
Kind of like we’ve talked about, you can’t be smart enough with – the human being more than anything – with something like this. That’s exactly the precautionary measures that we’re taking and I know Brandin feels good about it. If he feels good, that makes us feel good.
Cooks appears hungry to return to the field, and McVay also noted that not returning hasn’t even been something they’ve discussed:
That hasn’t been something we’ve talked about. Most importantly, that comes from, ‘How are you feeling, Brandin? How does your family feel about these types of things?’ With something like this, that’s first and foremost with our consideration as we move forward.
Rams’ head coach Sean McVay has already ruled Cooks out for their Week 10 matchup against the Pittsburg Steelers. Cooks — who’s amassed four consecutive 1,000+ yard receiving campaigns — currently has 27 catches for 402 yards and one touchdown in 2019.