Cooper Kupp is an absolute technician when it comes to running routes. It’s how he wins against bigger and faster defenders. He creates so much separation, to the point where the cornerback can’t do much but hope to bring him down after the catch.
During Wednesday’s joint practice with the Bengals, Kupp hit cornerback Chidobe Awuzie, a sixth-year veteran, with a route he’s never seen before. Having trained with Kupp in the past, the two are very familiar with each other. But this was something Awuzie hadn’t come across.
“Me and Cooper have the same agent and we trained together when we came out of college, so I’ve been going against him for about five years now. It’s always fun to go against him, especially the level he’s reached, and it’s a good measuring stick,” Awuzie said, via The Athletic. “He gave me a route I have never, ever seen. So now it’s added to my notebook of routes to expect. He was in a stack, and it was like a ‘Hunter Renfrow’ type of route, where he did an out, pivot, back out.”
We can’t say for sure what the route was, but it most likely looked like this one he ran last season against the Bucs. He faked outside, pretended to pivot back to the inside, before breaking back outside for an easy touchdown.
It’s a route Kupp invented, calling it the “Ocho” – an Omaha-China-Out” route.
No WR has been more impressive through Week 3 than Cooper Kupp — currently leads the NFL in yards per route run (3.86), per @PFF. pic.twitter.com/OJhqIorqHe
— Austin Gayle (@austingayle_) September 28, 2021
Even in his sixth year as a pro, Kupp is running routes that DBs have never seen before. He just keeps getting better.
