Tutu Atwell is a wide receiver whose status on the Los Angeles Rams has been unclear ever since the organization selected him in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Fans and the media have been wondering whether the Louisville product would finally break out for the past two offseasons. He sort of did this season, in a way, but it might not be enough to guarantee his long-term future with the Rams.
In 16 regular season appearances, Atwell achieved career highs in receiving yards (483), touchdown receptions (3), targets (67), receptions (39), and catch percentage (58.2). Those figures seemed disappointing considering how Tutu started the year.
In response to your query, Tutu Atwell was most definitely not let loose. That two-week stretch was merely a taste of things to come, as Atwell finished with just 26 receptions for 287 yards on 50 targets. Week 5 saw Cooper Kupp return to the starting lineup, which significantly reduced Atwell’s role and targets.
Following that, Tutu’s only other game with more than 40 yards receiving occurred in the Cardinals’ 37-14 rout. Atwell scored 76 yards by catching all three of his targets. After Week 5, that was the closest the third-year pass catcher got to 40 yards receiving, save from the 38-yard touchdown in the Wild Card Round.
Atwell’s greatest shot to make a big splash in the NFL, or at least establish himself as a potential contributor, was likely this past season. The stars were clearly in his favor, yet he did not seize it.
Van Jefferson duped some Rams fans into thinking he was a real player, Puka Nacua was nothing more than a hype machine, and Kupp was on injured reserve going into the regular season. At the position, there were a lot of unanswered questions, but most of them have already been resolved.
Tutu seemed to have it figured out at first, but then he crashed into yet another letdown. That has been the narrative of Atwell’s career, fair or not.
Too many sparks and insufficient realization of his enormous ability.
It was a mistake by Sean McVay to not give Tutu more opportunities during the 2022 season, which was a sh*tshow full of injuries. Once Kupp got back, it was more of the same this time. What is Atwell’s future in Los Angeles, then? Is he even in possession of one?
I predict that he will ultimately be moved for a late-round draft pick, sharing Jefferson’s destiny. Even while I think Atwell is good, the team didn’t get much return on its investment, and at the time, it was too cutesy of a pick for LA.
Once more, not everything can be attributed to the wideout. For both of them, though, a change of scenery might be beneficial. It is impossible for either party to carry on with this never-ending drama and hope that things would be any different in 2024.
