Tag: Eric Yarber

Tutu Atwell is being moved around in Rams’ offense, could help his case for No. 3 WR role

Rams’ WR coach Eric Yarber shared that Tutu Atwell has been moving around in the Rams’ offense during training camp.

Tutu Atwell is among a handful of wide receivers on the Los Angeles Rams that is competing for the No. 3 role on the depth chart behind Cooper Kupp and Van Jefferson. With the Rams wanting to see more from all of their wideouts, the team’s wide receivers coach Eric Yarber indicated that Atwell has seen snaps in different positions during training camp.

“That gives him great ownership of the offense, Tutu playing all the spots (and) moving around,” Yarber said via The Athletic. “It helps his development big time. He gets to learn the intricacies of the offense from every position’s perspective, and he’s been doing a great job. He takes pride in it, in being a smart athlete. … He’s a very sharp individual.”

Atwell is certainly an undersized wide receiver, and he was viewed as more of a gadget player than a true wideout when the Rams took him with the 57th overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft. The speedy pass catcher was utilized as a vertical threat last season, producing 16.6 yards per reception on only 18 catches.

While Atwell’s skillset fits more as a deep threat out of the slot, Sean McVay prefers to have his wide receivers capable of contributing in multiple areas. So if a player can’t play in a variety of spots and run block, then it’s hard for said player to see consistent opportunities with the starting offense.

The third-year receiver is competing alongside rookie Puka Nacua, Demarcus Robinson, Ben Skowronek, and Tyler Johnson for snaps in the offense. It’s been a shaky start to Atwell’s career thus far, but if he can prove he’s capable of moving around and contributing in the run game, he could see an expanded role in 2023.

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Watch: Mic’d-up Eric Yarber coaches Rams’ WRs during OTAs

Eric Yarber was mic’d up for a day of OTAs and it’s fun to see the way he coaches up the Rams’ wide receivers

The Rams are progressing through their offseason training program, currently holding OTAs at their facility in Thousand Oaks. It’s a learning process for the team’s young players as they get acclimated to the NFL, both on and off the field, which makes coaching so important at this point in the offseason.

Fortunately, the Rams have a great coach to lead the wide receivers: Eric Yarber. The veteran position coach is heralded as one of the best assistants on Sean McVay’s staff, always doing an excellent job with the wideouts – a position of strength in the last six years.

Yarber was mic’d up for one day of OTAs recently, giving fans a glimpse at his coaching style and the way he leads his players. He consistently praised the Rams’ young receivers, including undrafted rookie Tyler Hudson, and reminded them to focus on what they can control.

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Rams WRs coach speaks highly of Tutu Atwell’s progress: ‘It’s night and day’

Rams WRs coach Eric Yarber says Tutu Atwell is making big strides after a rough rookie year

Tutu Atwell didn’t contribute in the way he or the Rams hoped he would as a rookie last year. The second-round pick played just 10 offensive snaps and never recorded a touch, only working on special teams.

He suffered a season-ending shoulder injury after just eight games, sidelining him for the second half of the year. But now that he’s healthy, Atwell is looking to carve out a bigger role within the offense.

Rams wide receivers coach Eric Yarber echoed what Sean McVay said recently, coming away impressed with the progress Atwell has made in Year 2. He told Kevin Modesti of the OC Register that “it’s night and day” with Atwell’s development compared to his rookie year.

“He’s progressing very, very well mentally and physically. The game has slowed down for him. He knows his plays like the back of his hand,” Yarber said. “It’s almost like he took things for granted (last year). But now, he saw how Cooper and Robert Woods prepared and how it translated to on-the-field (success). I was going to suggest he do that anyway, but he did it before I even suggested it. That says a lot about how he’s serious about this and he wants to be a good pro.”

The Rams’ receiver group didn’t make it easy for Atwell to earn reps last year, playing behind Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods, Van Jefferson and DeSean Jackson. However, there may have been things Atwell could have done to improve his chances, too.

Yarber spoke about pressing Atwell on the importance of preparation, which has helped him get ready for the 2022 season.

“Last year, he thought he knew but he really didn’t,” Yarber said. “So you’ve got to press on him: ‘Hey, this is how you prepare. You’ve got to prepare like a pro. This is your livelihood. This is not you going to class and then going out there and using your athletic ability.’”

The Rams still have Kupp and Jefferson at wide receiver, and they also added Allen Robinson, so Atwell once again has an uphill climb to playing time. But Yarber expects him to contribute in the passing game and on special teams, and there’s also the possibility of running jet sweeps to get the ball in his hands.

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