Tag: Tutu Atwell

Watch: Tutu Atwell burns Bengals deep, makes terrific over-the-shoulder catch

Tutu Atwell made a sweet over-the-shoulder catch after burning the Bengals defense deep in practice Wednesday

The Tutu Atwell hype train rolled into Cincinnati this week and continued to pick up steam as the season approaches. Atwell, the Rams’ second-year receiver, has had a fantastic summer in practice, routinely making big plays on offense.

During Wednesday’s joint practice with the Bengals, the first of two sessions in Cincinnati, Atwell showed last year’s AFC champions the speed he possesses. The Rams shared a clip of Matthew Stafford throwing a pass deep to Atwell, who got behind the defense and made a terrific over-the-shoulder grab for a big gain.

It’s the type of play Atwell has been making throughout camp and the practices since, but it’s good to see him doing it against another team.

Here’s another angle of the catch from the sideline. It’s impressive to see Atwell track the ball and haul it in, a big improvement from last year.

Tutu with a nice catch at todays practice vs Bengals from LosAngelesRams

Sean McVay ensures Tutu Atwell’s absence vs. Chargers is a good sign

Sean McVay said he was excited to see Tutu Atwell play in the preseason, but the WR didn’t take the field Saturday. That’s a good thing.

A good portion of the Rams’ fanbase was excited to see Tutu Atwell on the field against the Chargers in the preseason opener, especially after hearing all the highlight-reel plays he made in training camp. But when the offense took the field for the first time, Atwell wasn’t out there.

He was dressed in uniform and on the sideline, but Atwell never stepped on the field. That’s not a bad thing if you ask Sean McVay. The coach told reporters after the Rams’ 29-22 win that the team simply didn’t want to risk injury with Atwell because “he’s gonna have a role with this team.”

“Tutu was only dressed as a result if we wanted to be able to put him back in some punt situations where he’s just fielding punts,” McVay said. “He’s done a great job throughout camp. He’s gonna have a role with this team and we didn’t want to put him at harm’s risk. So he’s gonna be a part of what we’re doing this year and that was because he’s done well, not because he’s done anything other than that.”

If you were worried that Atwell was either hurt or benched, there’s no reason for concern. In fact, it sounds like he’ll be a much bigger part of the offense than last year, a very positive development for the second-year speedster.

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5 Rams to watch in preseason opener vs. Chargers

The Rams kick off their preseason schedule on Saturday vs. the Chargers and these are five players fans should have their eyes on.

It’s officially the first week of the NFL preseason as every team in the league will have an exhibition game this week. The Los Angeles Rams will kick off their preseason schedule versus the Los Angeles Chargers, the team they share SoFi Stadium with.

This will be the first time the Rams will take the field since defeating the Cincinnati Bengals in the Super Bowl back in February. That being said, Sean McVay has avoided having starters play in the preseason, so backups and other players will have opportunities to showcase their talent.

Ahead of Saturday’s preseason contest against the Chargers, here are five players to watch on the Rams.

Tutu Atwell, Daniel Hardy among players Sean McVay is excited to see in preseason

Sean McVay mentioned a handful of players he’s excited to see in the preseason, Tutu Atwell and Daniel Hardy among them.

The preseason may not be glamorous and exciting like the regular season or playoffs – especially for a team like the Rams that rests its starters – but it certainly serves a purpose. It gives younger, unproven players a chance to show they deserve a roster spot and an opportunity.

The Rams kick off their preseason slate on Saturday against the Chargers and Sean McVay already has a handful of players he’s excited to see take the field – Tutu Atwell and Robert Rochell among them.

“I’m excited to watch Logan Bruss play and A.J. Arcuri. A lot of these young players,” he said. “There’s a handful of second-year guys. You want to see if a lot of the good stuff Robert Rochell has done translates into some of the real game action. Want to see Daniel Hardy play with that effort and intensity that he’s played with. I could go on and on about a lot of guys, but Tutu is a guy that’s done a really nice job,” McVay said. “We’re working through exactly what his role in the preseason looks like and those are things that will pretty much finalize that we kind of talked about last night and then working towards today.”

McVay mentioned Wednesday that six defensive backs won’t play in the preseason, including Jalen Ramsey and David Long Jr. But he did say that players who are expected to play a role in the regular season will still get snaps in the preseason.

It’ll be interesting to see if Coleman Shelton is one of those players because he’s separated himself in the right guard battle, so if he doesn’t play, it might be a sign that he’s locked up that job over Logan Bruss.

Atwell has a chance to be the No. 4 receiver and a contributor on offense, but McVay wants to see how he plays in game settings after not getting many opportunities last season. He should be on every fan’s radar this weekend.

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Watch: Tutu Atwell makes two awesome catches while mic’d up in practice

Tutu Atwell showed off his speed in practice this week and was mic’d up while doing it.

Tutu Atwell is making the strides the Rams hoped he would in Year 2 after a quiet rookie season, standing out as one of the top players in training camp in the absence of Van Jefferson. The former second-round pick could be poised for a breakout season with all the speed he has to burn.

He showed off those wheels in practice this week, burning the defense deep a few times. He did it twice in one day, and it just happened to be the practice he was mic’d up for. Atwell ran right by Decobie Durant for a big gain down the middle, and also made a great grab over Troy Hill on a deep shot, too.

The Rams’ cameras captured both plays and shared them in this mic’d-up video.

The video is great, but we can’t ignore the fact that Atwell told wide receivers coach Eric Yarber that he weighs about 150-151 pounds. That’s obviously quite light, and it’s 15 pounds lighter than he’s listed on the official roster.

“I weigh 150, coach. 150, 151, I weighed in. Feel a little big today,” Atwell said.

The biggest concern with Atwell is durability, and at only 150 pounds, he’ll need to avoid safeties lurking over the middle.

With Tutu Atwell standing out, Rams expect him to ‘contribute in a big way’

Sean McVay has loved what he’s seen from Tutu Atwell and expects him to contribute “in a big way”

Will ’22 be the year of Tutu?

The way things are trending, Atwell could be in for a much better season than the one he had as a rookie in 2021. He’s been one of the standouts of training camp so far, earning praise from the likes of Sean McVay, Cooper Kupp and Matthew Stafford along the way. Even special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis sees improvement from Atwell as a punt returner.

The Rams’ second-round pick in 2021 has gotten plenty of opportunities with the first-team offense in training camp with Van Jefferson out, and he’s taking full advantage. It seems like every day Atwell is making catches on deep balls for big gains, a sign that the Rams have found a role for the speedster.

After making two great grabs in practice Monday, McVay shared his thoughts on why Atwell has improved so much.

“I think he’s done the right kind of things. I think he’s listening to his coaching from Coach Yarber, Coach Olson. Done a really good job and he’s capable of it too. I think some of it, too, is just the opportunity. So been really pleased with the approach that he’s taken going into Year 2. It’s one thing to do it in practice, it’s another thing to do it in situations that really count. So, want to see this stuff continue to translate, but I think he can draw some confidence being able to make these plays in some game-like settings.”

Most of the Rams’ starters don’t play in the preseason, but Atwell isn’t yet on that level. After playing just eight games as a rookie and getting very few opportunities on offense, McVay feels it’s best to have Atwell play in the preseason to gain some experience before the regular season begins.

That’s not a slight on the receiver, but it’s more about the coaching staff wanting to give him even more chances to prove this camp breakout hasn’t been a fluke. McVay sees big things for Atwell this year, expecting him to have a role and contribute in a “big way.”

“I think we’ll continue to work through that, but he’s a guy that hasn’t had a lot of game experience and so, different than some of those guys, while we do expect him to be able to have a role and contribute in a big way, he still is a young player that probably falls in line with playing in the preseason,” McVay said.

Notes from Day 13 of Rams training camp: Tutu Atwell keeps shining

Recapping Monday’s practice from Rams training camp, where Tutu Atwell continued to stand out

It’s the beginning of the end of training camp for the Rams, with Monday marking the first practice of the final week at UC Irvine. They’ll practice again on Tuesday and Wednesday, but Tuesday’s session will be the last one open to fans.

It was a padded practice on Monday after the team got a day off on Sunday, working to wrap up camp before heading back to Thousand Oaks later this week. Here’s a recap of what took place in practice, led by Atwell’s continued ascent.

Tutu Atwell knows he has to ‘gain that trust’ within Rams offense

Tutu Atwell is standing out in training camp, but he knows he still has to gain trust of coaches and players in the offense

The Rams may need much more out of Tutu Atwell this season. Cooper Kupp and Allen Robinson will be the two starters at wide receiver, but Van Jefferson is dealing with a knee injury and Odell Beckham Jr. is still a free agent – and likely to miss at least a month or two of the season.

In the event that Jefferson can’t be ready for Week 1 or an injury occurs at some point later on, Atwell could be the next man up. He’s shown this summer that he’s prepared for a bigger role, making big play after big play. Just this week, he caught three 50-yard bombs in practice, including one from Matthew Stafford.

Atwell is ready for a bigger opportunity, he knows he must first gain the trust of his coaches and teammates first.

“I can do it all, but I have to gain that trust,” Atwell told the Los Angeles Daily News. “I’m working on gaining that trust and showing coaches that I can do a little bit of everything, so I can have more opportunities.”

Atwell has a specialized skill set that certainly provides value on offense. While he’s smaller than most receivers, he’s also likely the fastest player on the team. He can be a deep threat, someone who turns a short pass into a big gain or a gadget player who takes handoffs and jet sweeps.

Atwell says the Rams have designed plays for him, and he just has to take advantage of those chances.

“I’ve seen it. We have talks about it in meetings, we look at it, read the script and they let me know what plays I’m in,” he added. “When I get the opportunity, I just gotta show everybody what I can do, so they can trust me and I can make more plays.”

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Watch: Tutu Atwell catches deep bomb from Matthew Stafford in practice

Matthew Stafford showed that his arm is still strong despite dealing with an elbow injury by launching a deep pass to Tutu Atwell.

There have been some concerns with Matthew Stafford in recent days as it’s been discovered that he’s dealing with tendinitis in his elbow. Despite the reports, the veteran quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams showed off his strong arm by delivering a deep pass to Tutu Atwell during Thursday’s practice.

It was a 50-yard bomb from Stafford to Atwell, the latter of whom is having a terrific training camp with back-to-back days of catching deep passes in practice.

A positive sign for the Rams is that Stafford didn’t put much effort into throwing the ball on this play and it was still almost overthrown for a speedy wideout like Atwell. At the same time, it’s fantastic to see Atwell show signs of being a vertical threat in the offense this season.

With Van Jefferson’s timetable to return after a knee surgery undetermined right now, the Rams could need guys like Atwell to step up in his absence. While Jacob Harris and Ben Skowronek could bring different skillsets to the table, Atwell can stretch the field with his speed.

It was Allen Robinson who made a highlight-worthy play in Wednesday’s practice with a one-handed grab. But on Thursday, it was Atwell completing a reception from a nice deep pass from Stafford that has caught the attention of fans.

Cooper Kupp seeing positive growth from Tutu Atwell: ‘He’s flying around’

Cooper Kupp has seen Tutu Atwell improve in Year 2, saying he’s “flying around, making some tough plays.”

Tutu Atwell didn’t have his name called very often as a rookie, primarily playing special teams in the eight games he was healthy for. He only lined up for 10 offensive snaps and didn’t catch a single pass, but his arrow is pointing up in Year 2.

Not only does it look like he’s bulked up a bit, but he’s also progressing on the field as a wide receiver. Cooper Kupp and Sean McVay have seen improvement from the young speedster, with Kupp saying on Wednesday that Atwell has been flying around the field making tough plays for the offense.

“He’s been great. See him out here, (it’s) slowed down mentally, but physically, being able to do all the things that you want,” Kupp said of Atwell. “He’s flying around, making some tough plays. I think there’s just a little bit of that growth that you have to go through. Unfortunately, he didn’t get the whole season last year, but there’s that growth you have to go through, matching the physicality of what this game is. I think he’s done a really good job stepping up to the plate to this point. There’s all of camp left and I’m looking forward to seeing him continue to grow in that role.”

Right now, Atwell’s opportunities are increased a bit. Van Jefferson is nursing a knee injury that he just underwent surgery for, so the No. 3 spot is open at the moment. Atwell is trying to take advantage, catching a 50-yard bomb for a touchdown during Wednesday’s practice.

As a former second-round pick, the Rams need to find ways to get Atwell involved because he has the speed and agility to make plays in the open field. And another year of standing on the sidelines won’t make this pick look any better.

So far, he’s on the right track in his second season.