Will TuTu Atwell step up in the Rams offense without Cooper Kupp?
The Los Angeles Rams will be without their top two wide receivers in the immediate future as both Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp are set to miss an extended period of time. With Kupp and Nacua both out, the question becomes which wide receiver will step up in their absence.
As it stands, the Rams have Demarcus Robinson, Jordan Whittington, Tyler Johnson, and TuTu Atwell as the primary wide receivers available in the offense. In order for the offense to be able to function, those four players are going to have to be ready to take on a larger workload.
Throughout his career Robinson has never been more than a WR3 or WR4 in an offense. While he has stepped up in moments, it’s also hard to expect him to all of a sudden become the guy. Robinson has always been that player that finds a way to come open on third down or someone that opposing defenses forget about on the field.
Sixth-round pick Jordan Whittington was a player that the coaching staff praised throughout the entire offseason. With that said, it’s also unfair to expect him to take on a workload like Puka Nacua did last year when Kupp was out the first four weeks of the season. Whittington will likely be more involved in the offense, but won’t be the featured player.
The player that the Rams need to step up and play up to their potential is TuTu Atwell. Unlike the others in the wide receiver room, Atwell has been in this situation before. Through four years, Atwell hasn’t lived up to his second-round draft status to say the least. Consistency and just missing plays has been the story of his career. As seen last week, while he had three catches, he also had one drop. However, the Rams will need Atwell to finally step up with both Kupp and Nacua out of the lineup. Unlike the other receivers, Atwell has been here before.
Last season when Kupp was out the first four games, Atwell showed that he could be a player that Stafford can put some trust in. During the first four weeks of the season Atwell had 34 targets that resulted in 22 catches for 365 yards. His 34 targets were the 11th most during those weeks and on 178 pass plays, he ran 170 routes for a 95.5 percent route percentage that ranked ninth. For the first time, there was a glimpse of what Atwell could accomplish when he got involved in the offense.
Atwell fell out of favor as the year went on and Demarcus Robinson emerged. However, last week, it was Atwell who led Rams wide receiver in targets in the second half with Kupp out of the lineup. He was also the first read on throws 33.3 percent of the time which was the same as Kupp. If it is Atwell taking Kupp’s “position” in the offense, it’s likely that a lot of Stafford’s looks will go the way of the former second round pick.
While a small sample size, it is worth noting that Atwell has the highest separation score among Rams wide receivers this season and the highest win-rate at 35.7 percent. Separation score accurately identifies which receivers are the best or worst at generating separation. This was the case during the first four weeks last year as well. Atwell led Rams wide receivers with a 0.168 separation score and trailed only Nacua in win-rate at 19.3 percent.
Without Nacua and Kupp, the Rams wide receiver room will certainly take a big hit. A lot will be expected of a veteran player like Demarcus Robinson. Rookie Jordan Whittington will be also be thrown into a larger role.
However, the most explosive receiver in the Rams offense now is TuTu Atwell. He’s the player that has the ability to create on his own. During his four years, he hasn’t consistently been involved in the offense. Inconsistency is a big reason for that. With that said, Atwell is in a contract season and given that he has the most experience in the offense, he’ll need to play up to his potential. When given the opportunity last year, he made the most of it. He also did the same in 2022 when Kupp went out.
We’ll see how McVay utilizes the current wide receivers in the system. To say the least, the Rams wide receiver room looks a lot different than many anticipated coming into the season. It most likely be Robinson and Atwell on the outside with Whittington playing in the slot. McVay’s system has historically gotten the most of the wide receivers as long as they are good route-runners and do enough in the run game.
In a contract year, this is a big opportunity for Atwell to show what he is capable of in this offense. Even if the Rams don’t re-sign him following the season, Atwell can put out some good tape and show why he was drafted in the second round back in 2021.