Cooper Kupp will probably be the subject of trade rumors leading up to the Nov. 5 deadline but Sean McVay essentially said last week that the Rams have no plans to move their star receiver.
“That’s not a move that we want to make,” McVay said. “… There was (a) conversation in regard to people reaching out about him but to say that we were proactively seeking that out, that was something that I had a hard time with.”
“Like I said, he’s a Ram and we expect it to stay that way.”
While he did leave some room for speculation by saying “we expect it to stay that way” instead of “we’re not trading him,” signs point toward Kupp remaining with the Rams. That doesn’t mean McVay and Les Snead won’t try to move another receiver, though.
Now flush with talent at the position, the Rams could look to trade someone besides Kupp. Last week alone, Kupp, Puka Nacua, Demarcus Robinson, Tyler Johnson and Tutu Atwell all caught a pass. That was with Jordan Whittington sidelined by a shoulder injury, too.
Realistically, the Rams have six receivers they can count on to be starters, and all six of them have started at least one game this season.
Based on the Week 8 snap counts, it looks like Atwell could be the odd man out in the receiver rotation. He played just nine snaps compared to the next-lowest receiver, Johnson, who played 27 snaps.
Between Atwell, Robinson and Johnson, Tutu might have the most trade value of them all. He’s a former second-round pick who’s been a playmaker when called upon, and he’s also in the last year of his contract so he could fit a team looking for a half-year rental with the possibility of extending him after the season.
If the Rams do attempt to move Atwell, they shouldn’t expect anything more than a fifth- or sixth-rounder. Teams know Los Angeles won’t have much leverage after he took a backseat in the receiver room last week, so the Rams aren’t in a position of power when it comes to negotiations.
This isn’t to say the Rams should move Atwell. As we’ve seen in the last two years, injuries happen. Atwell was needed at the start of last season and then again at the beginning of this year, so having him as a depth player is probably more valuable than a late-Day 3 pick in a future draft.