Tag: Tutu Atwell

Rams are considering ‘different avenues’ at WR with depth thinning

Sean McVay spoke about the Rams making a move at wide receiver given the team’s recent lack of depth at the position.

We all know that Cooper Kupp is having a historic season for the Los Angeles Rams, Robert Woods is still a do-it-all guy, and Van Jefferson continues to show he has a bright future ahead of him. But what about the depth behind Kupp, Woods, and Jefferson?

With Tutu Atwell being placed on injured reserve and DeSean Jackson either getting traded or released, Sean McVay discussed what the Rams could do at the wide receiver position moving forward.

“We’re working through that right now. There’s some different avenues, whether it’s guys out there or practice squad. And that’s kind of something that Les and I, we’re kind of working through. This is kind of consistent standard operating procedures based on injuries every single week, and so it is something that you want to be mindful of,” McVay said.

Atwell suffered a shoulder injury in Week 8, ending his rookie season prematurely before he caught his first pass in the NFL. As for Jackson, the veteran wideout seems to want a larger role in an offense, which is something that the Rams can’t oblige with their current personnel.

Behind the main contributors at wide receiver, Los Angeles currently has Ben Skowronek as the only other wideout on the roster, who caught three passes for 30 yards against the Houston Texans on Sunday. Jacob Harris, a hybrid wide receiver/tight end could see playing time out wide in certain offensive sets.

“I’ll tell you what, I was really pleased with some of the younger guys coming in and doing a nice job,” McVay continued. “I thought Ben Skowronek really came in and handled a couple targets really well. You could see he’s got a good understanding of what’s going on. It was good to get Jacob Harris involved. Really pleased with Van’s production and continued maturation, and we obviously know from that position that Cooper and Robert have been doing it at a really high level for a long time for the Rams.”

At the same time, McVay realizes the Rams need to make moves at wide receiver to improve their depth. I don’t expect Los Angeles to trade for a wideout, but I wouldn’t rule out anything when it comes to Les Snead.

Signing someone off of their practice squad or through free agency seems like the most realistic outcome with the trade deadline nearing a conclusion.

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Rams rookie Tutu Atwell needs season-ending shoulder surgery

Tutu Atwell suffered a season-ending shoulder injury Sunday. His rookie year will end with zero receptions.

Tutu Atwell’s rookie season will end prematurely and without a single reception. Sean McVay told reporters Monday that Atwell suffered a shoulder injury against the Texans that will require surgery. He will be placed on injured reserve and miss the rest of the season.

The injury occurred on a punt return in the second half of Sunday’s game against Houston. He was immediately ruled questionable to return and never got back on the field after heading to the locker room.

Atwell has only played 10 offensive snaps this year and hasn’t caught a single pass or taken a handoff. The only time he’s touched the ball was in the return game when he took back 10 punts for a total of 54 yards and five kickoffs for 87 yards.

He was never expected to contribute much as a rookie in the Rams’ deep receiving corps, but this is about as poorly as his first season in the NFL could’ve gone. He was the team’s top draft pick, going 57th overall out of Louisville.

Tutu Atwell questionable to return with shoulder injury

Tutu Atwell suffered a shoulder injury in the third quarter and is questionable to return.

It has not been a very good rookie year for Tutu Atwell, who was the Rams’ top draft pick in April. It was made even worse on Sunday when he suffered a shoulder injury in the third quarter on a punt return.

Atwell finally found some running room but went down awkwardly and was slow to get up. He was helped to the locker room by trainers immediately after coming off the field and is questionable to return.

Atwell has been limited to a role on special teams this season, but he’s even struggled in that phase of the game.

Sean McVay doesn’t sound confident in Tutu Atwell as DeSean Jackson’s replacement

The Rams are attempting to trade DeSean Jackson, but Sean McVay doesn’t sound confident in Tutu Atwell as his replacement.

DeSean Jackson was elated to join the Rams this offseason, returning home to Southern California where he grew up and reuniting with his former offensive coordinator Sean McVay. The Rams were thrilled to have him, too, adding an explosive playmaker to their offense.

But seven games in, things haven’t gone according to plan. Jackson has only played 100 snaps and now wants to be traded, which the Rams have agreed to pursue. Assuming Jackson is either traded before Tuesday’s deadline or released afterwards, the Rams offense will be missing its primary deep threat.

Tutu Atwell was a second-round pick and might be the fastest player on the team, but he’s played 10 offensive snaps and has yet to catch a pass. McVay doesn’t sound confident Atwell will immediately become Jackson’s replacement as the deep threat, saying this on Friday after the trade request was reported.

“I think we’ll see. He hasn’t done anything,” McVay said of Atwell. “DeSean is a potential Hall of Fame player that’s got a resume that speaks for himself. When you look at it, feel really good about the guys that have played a lot of snaps for us. You look at Cooper (Kupp), you look at Robert (Woods). I think Van (Jefferson) is an ascending player, (Tyler) Higbee, our backs. Some other guys might be asked to step up. Feel good about that and always want to try and make decisions that I think are in the best interest of our team, and also with consideration to our players. This is one of those. And again, what I would say to you guys is, this is all very quickly developing. So, there’s stuff that we’re recently just kind of working through.”

McVay said this week that he wants to see a heightened sense of urgency from Atwell, suggesting that the rookie isn’t quite ready for a bigger role. His lack of playing time on offense and his demotion from punt returner last week are signs that the Rams don’t fully trust him just yet.

Atwell can still become a playmaker, but an immediate promotion to Jackson’s role is not likely.

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Sean McVay wants to see ‘increased sense of urgency’ from Tutu Atwell

Tutu Atwell hasn’t done much as a rookie and Sean McVay wants to see him have “a little bit more increased sense of urgency.”

There was no lack of critics when the Los Angeles Rams drafted Tutu Atwell with the 57th overall pick this year. It was very clearly a luxury pick for a team that was already deep at wide receiver and had just signed a deep threat in DeSean Jackson during free agency.

Atwell came into the NFL with size concerns and his role on the Rams was difficult to sort out, which hasn’t changed now seven weeks into the regular season. He’s played just 10 offensive snaps and hasn’t touched the ball outside of his seven punt returns and five kick returns, contributing minimally up to this point.

Sean McVay doesn’t seem satisfied with what the rookie has done thus far, saying he’d like to see Atwell with a heightened sense of urgency.

“Tutu’s a young player. He’s got a lot of room to develop and grow,” he said Wednesday. “I’d like to see him have a little bit more increased sense of urgency. There are a lot of guys that are in front of him that I think are great veteran examples. He’s doing some good things, he’s working hard in practice. The return opportunities have been limited and then he’s really not playing at all at receiver for us, so think you’ve just got to be patient and he’s got to just work behind the scenes and when he does get his opportunity – whether it’s this week, next week, at some point – he’s got to be ready to go.”

That’s not exactly a glowing review from the Rams coach, but it’s hard to blame him. Atwell hasn’t caught a single pass or taken a handoff, failing to carve out a role on offense. To be fair, he is behind Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods, Van Jefferson and DeSean Jackson on the depth chart – which might be the deepest receiver group in the NFL – but he should be able to contribute as a return specialist, at the very least.

That’s a position the Rams are still sorting out, with McVay seeming frustrated by the lack of stability there. Atwell has shown flashes of his quickness and playmaking ability but it’s obvious the Rams don’t trust him fully, sending Kupp back to receive punts in safe situations.

It’s still very early, but Atwell has disappointed so far as a second-round pick.

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Sean McVay breaks down Tutu Atwell’s reduced role and Rams’ struggles in return game

Sean McVay shares why Tutu Atwell is playing less and iterates that the Rams aren’t content with where they’re at in the return game.

For the first time this season, we saw Ben Skowronek return kicks for the Los Angeles Rams in Week 7 versus the Detroit Lions. I’m likely not the only one who believes that Skowronek isn’t the answer at kick returner moving forward.

While Tutu Atwell was expected to handle kick and punt return duties this season, Sean McVay iterated why the rookie wideout is seeing his role reduced and how the Rams are still searching for a successful combination on special teams.

“We didn’t really get many opportunities in the punt return phase. I think the kick return – I don’t care who is returning yesterday, we didn’t block well at all. Whether it was Ben Skowronek or anybody else, we didn’t get a hat on a hat. We didn’t execute the fundamentals and the techniques that we work,” McVay said Monday. “Guys have to play better, in that phase in particular. Really, TuTu hadn’t had a whole lot of experience doing it in general. He’s a young player. That’s kind of where we’re at with it, but certainly the return game is not something that we feel great about where we’re at. We’re going to continue to work it.”

When asked specifically what caused the Rams to pull Atwell from his return role, McVay said, “We just felt like those guys were better candidates given the circumstances,” referring to Skowronek and Buddy Howell.

Atwell has totaled 12 returns this season (seven on punt, five on kickoff) for 139 yards. Coming into the NFL, Atwell didn’t have much experience as a returner, returning just four punts for 84 yards and zero kick returns in college. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Atwell still isn’t adjusted to returning punts or kicks in the NFL.

However, it does warrant the question of why Atwell was picked in the first place. The rookie second-round pick out of Louisville has only played 10 snaps on offense and he’s now absent from the return game. It doesn’t help that guys like Creed Humphrey and Terrace Marshall were still on the board when Atwell was selected.

With injuries to Jake Funk, Raymond Calais and Xavier Jones, the Rams are still seeking answers in the return game entering Week 8. And to make matters worse, their explosive rookie Atwell seems to be losing returning duties to other members of the roster right now.

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Les Snead not worried about Tutu Atwell’s limited role, can see big punt return coming

Les Snead expected Tutu Atwell to have somewhat of a redshirt year, so he’s not worried that the rookie has only played 2 snaps on offense.

The Rams surprised a lot of fans and analysts in April when they spent their top draft pick on Tutu Atwell – a small but speedy receiver out of Louisville. It caught people off guard because the Rams already had Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods and Van Jefferson, and had just signed DeSean Jackson in free agency.

As expected, his role has been minimal through four games. Atwell has played two offensive snaps and returned four punts for 13 yards, getting very few opportunities to contribute. GM Les Snead isn’t worried, however, and knew Atwell might have a hard time carving out a role as a rookie.

“If we draft a skill player, always look at it, right? There’s an element of you’ve got to expect them to have somewhat of a redshirt year – just because our five eligible, they’re veterans, they’re sophisticated,” he said on the “Coach McVay Show” this week. “I always go, hey, when a rookie comes in, it’s 101 and oh by the way, he’s in a PhD class. You’re going to be far behind, so that’s the neat thing is being able to get these players up to speed. Van Jefferson, partial redshirt last year. This year, letting him play with the, if you want to call it the ‘varsity,’ per se.”

Atwell’s clearest path to contributing this season is on special teams where he’s been the punt returner. Unfortunately, the Rams have only forced nine punts so Atwell’s chances to make an impact in the return game has been limited.

Based on his speed and the way the Rams have been blocking on punt returns, Snead wouldn’t be surprised if Atwell breaks off a long return at some point this season.

“The negative is teams have only punted nine times against us,” he said. “That’s a negative, right? It’d be nice if maybe he had nine more punts but I wouldn’t be surprised if at some point this year, he does have a breakout punt return at some point just because of his speed and the way we’re beginning to block for him.”

Atwell’s longest return is 9 yards but he hasn’t had much room to work because of the high-arching punts he’s had to field. If he finds some space in the open field, things could get interesting.

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Sean McVay makes it clear Tutu Atwell will be Rams’ punt returner

Despite Cooper Kupp fielding Chicago’s only punt of Week 1, Sean McVay says Tutu Atwell will be the Rams’ punt returner.

It’s hard to believe that the Chicago Bears only punted one time in their 34-14 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, but that’s the result of multiple failed fourth-down conversions and two turnovers. What’s even more surprising is that Cooper Kupp was the player Sean McVay sent back to field the punt, not Tutu Atwell.

Kupp has returned punts in the past, but with Atwell on the roster, fans expected the rookie to be the punt returner. It turns out he will be.

McVay told reporters before practice Wednesday that Atwell will be the team’s punt returner, and Kupp was only back there because it was a fair catch situation with no chance of a return.

“Tutu will be our punt returner. He’s a guy that in a normal circumstance and situation, you can expect to see him back there. There just was so many limited opportunities and because of the particular situation, that was why Cooper was back there,” he said.

“It was a safe situation. There wasn’t a return possibility for us right there so that’s what resulted in him being back there.”

The Rams have used Kupp in this exact situation before, knowing he has good hands and will make sound decisions about whether to field a punt or let it go over his head for a touchback.

McVay’s trust in Atwell should grow as he gets more reps in this role, but we could see Kupp continue to be used as a fair catch punt returner in the meantime.

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Chad Johnson has his eye on Tutu Atwell this Sunday

Chad Johnson seems to be expecting Tutu Atwell to impress in his debut on Sunday night.

Tutu Atwell is currently the fifth receiver on the Rams’ depth chart, but the rookie should get some opportunities to make plays in the opener against the Bears on Sunday night. Whether it’s on screen passes, a deep shot down the field or on punt returns, Atwell can make an impact with his speed.

Chad Johnson has been following Atwell and loved his fit with the Rams after the draft, and he’s got his eye on the rookie this weekend. When a fan on Twitter asked Johnson what he thinks about the Rams and Matthew Stafford, he pointed to Atwell.

This was Johnson’s take on Atwell after the Rams drafted him in the second round, sharing his excitement for how Sean McVay will use him on offense.

The Rams have so many playmakers on offense already, so it could take a little time before he carves out a role. But as a second-round rookie, he’ll get his chance sooner or later.

Bears ST coordinator has funny analysis of Tutu Atwell’s skill set

There’s one easy way to describe Tutu Atwell: He’s fast.

The Rams seem to finally have a weapon in the return game with Tutu Atwell expected to take over for Nsimba Webster on special teams. Atwell, the team’s second-round pick this year, is likely the fastest player on the Rams’ roster and though he doesn’t have a clear-cut role on offense, he’ll have chances to showcase his wheels one way or another.

He’s someone the Bears are already talking about, too.

Special teams coordinator Chris Tabor was asked about Atwell on Wednesday ahead of Rams-Bears in Week 1 and he talked about one thing: Atwell’s speed.

Here’s his funny take on the rookie returner.

Tabor isn’t wrong. Atwell is fast. Really fast.

He ran a 4.32 in the 40-yard dash at his pro day, and has been timed as fast as 4.27 in the past. His speed was on display in the preseason when he got the chance to return a couple of punts, also showing his burst after catching a handful of short passes.

The Rams haven’t officially committed to Atwell as their punt returner, but they don’t exactly have a better option right now. He could become a playmaker in that phase of the game while he gets up to speed on offense.

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