Rams rule Cooks (concussion) out vs. Steelers

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Los Angeles Rams receiver Brandin Cooks remains in concussion protocol and has been ruled out of Sunday’s matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Rams coach Sean McVay said Wednesday.

Cooks sustained two concussions last month and appears to be in no rush to return to football.

He sought the opinion of a specialist in Pittsburgh last week and McVay said Wednesday that Cooks was en route to Pittsburgh once again to meet with doctors.

“We’re really just trying to continue to gather information,” McVay said. “The first visit was very beneficial, we got a lot of good information that I think gives him a piece of mind, gives us a clear-cut idea of, ‘Okay, how do we want to continue to progress moving forward.'”

Cooks will not remain in Pittsburgh after visiting specialists despite the Rams playing Sunday at Heinz Field, McVay said, adding that there have been no setbacks in Cooks recovery.

“You can’t be smart enough with the human being, more than anything, in something like this,” McVay said.

Cooks suffered his first concussion this season in a Week 5 Thursday night game against the Seattle Seahawks, but cleared protocol to play in Week 6. He sustained a second concussion in Week 8 against the Cincinnati Bengals.

In both instances, McVay said Cooks did not show symptoms a day after being placed in protocol. However, Cooks and the Rams chose to seek opinions from specialists because of the frequency of his concussions, followed by how quickly he appears to recover.

Cooks has sustained five known concussions since 2015, when he was placed into protocol as a member of the New Orleans Saints. He also suffered a concussion in Super Bowl LII with the New England Patriots and again last season in Week 5, with the Rams.

McVay said that the idea of leaving football has not been broached with Cooks.

“That hasn’t been something we’ve talked about,” McVay said. “That comes from, ‘How you feeling, Brandin? How does your family feel about these types of things?’ because with something like this, that’s first and foremost with our consideration as we move forward. I know he feels good, I think he did feel a lot better having gone to the first visit to Pittsburgh to get some clarity on maybe why have some of these things occurred, what can we do from a preventative maintenance standpoint to just alleviate some of the risk of these occurring in the future and if this is something that’s not going to inhibit his ability moving forward.”

Before last season, Cooks, 26, signed a five-year extension worth $81 million, with $50.5 million in guarantees.

In six seasons, he has 387 receptions for 5,549 yards and 33 touchdowns.