The New England Patriots need a lot more talent at wide receiver. They also need a lot more experience.
In addition to being extremely unproductive -- their top wideout, DeMario Douglas, ranked 61st in the league with 621 receiving yards -- the Patriots' receiver room also dealt with plenty of dysfunction, highlighted by Tyquan Thornton and K.J. Osborn getting released mid-season, Kayshon Boutte criticizing the team's play-calling, Javon Baker missing curfew ahead of the team's game in London and Ja'Lynn Polk struggling with drop issues.
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So, as much as New England needs high-end receiver talent, the team also could use an "adult in the room" who could help mentor its young pass-catchers and get them back on track.
Enter Cooper Kupp, who revealed earlier this week that the Los Angeles Rams intend to trade him.
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While Kupp turns 32 in June, former Rams offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth -- who spent five seasons as Kupp's teammate in Los Angeles and won a Super Bowl with him in 2021 -- believes Kupp would be a perfect fit for the Patriots.
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"Cooper Kupp is the equivalent to having (Rams head coach) Sean McVay on the field," Whitworth told 98.5 The Sports Hub's Zolak & Bertrand on Thursday, as seen in the video player above. "Like, Cooper Kupp could walk in a room right now and run an offense. He's that intelligent; he understands the game that much.
"When we would go eat and have breakfast and spend time together, he's one of those guys that's like, 'Dude, I can't wait to coach football.' He's that type of guy. He wants to sit in a room and dissect film and break it down and all those things."
Whitworth noted that Kupp actually acts like a coach on and off the field, to the point where he'd help the Rams design running plays.
"His ability to teach when he's on the field -- he's teaching the receivers, he's still helping the tight ends, the linemen," Whitworth said of Kupp. "He would come up with run schemes that we're gonna run in a game, how he can get more involved in the run game and how we can block a play.
"Like, we used to run basically outside zone with him chipping the (defensive) end like he was a tight end, because he'd be like, 'Teams don't expect that. What if I just came and became the tight end and we run it?' Like, he would come up with those things.
"So, his mindset and that kind of stuff (would) just be invaluable for that quarterback."
🔊 Next Pats Podcast: Should the Patriots pursue Cooper Kupp via trade? | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube
In addition to helping New England's pass-catchers, Whitworth believes Kupp would be a great asset for second-year Patriots quarterback Drake Maye. Whitworth recalled playing with Andy Dalton in Cincinnati and Jared Goff in Los Angeles when they were rookies, and noted that both QBs mentioned the benefit of having a veteran player "in their ear" to remind them about important in-game details.
"Those things were invaluable and they would need those things," Whitworth said. "They'd give me feedback and say, 'Hey, man, I appreciate you reminding me of those little things in the huddle.' That stuff's invaluable.
"So, a guy like Drake Maye having people like that in his huddle -- people think, 'Put talent around him;' talent's great, but if that talent doesn't know where they're supposed to line up and what they're supposed to do, it doesn't do anything for an NFL offense at the level."
"So, I think having a guy like Cooper Kupp would be unbelievable, because he would have an impact across that entire room."
Kupp may be on the back nine of his career -- his 67 receptions and 710 receiving yards in 12 games last season were his lowest totals since 2018 -- but if he can serve as on-field coach for Maye and the Patriots' receivers, New England absolutely should consider trading for him.
