Why Tutu Atwell will thrive in Rams offense without Cooper Kupp

Tutu Atwell will have a chance to thrive in the Rams offense without Cooper Kupp

The Los Angeles Rams made a trio of bold moves at the wide receiver position this offseason. It started when head coach Sean McVay recruited and then the team signed Davante Adams. Despite never having more than 600 yards in a season, the Rams also re-signed Tutu Atwell to a one-year deal with $10 million fully guaranteed. Following those two moves, the Rams subsequently released Cooper Kupp to save cap space, giving the team a trio of Adams, Atwell, and Puka Nacua at the wide receiver position.

While the Rams cutting Kupp was certainly controversial given that he was a fan favorite, it was a move that made sense from a team perspective. Still, the more controversial decision may have been not just re-signing Atwell, but giving him a $10 million fully guaranteed contract.

The Atwell deal set the wide receiver market in the early stages of free agency. Dyami Brown signed a similar deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The most yards Brown has ever had in a season is 308. Signing Atwell to a one-year deal was similar to had they accepted his fifth-year option if he had been a first-round pick. It allowed the Rams to bring back a familiar face at the position rather than rely on a rookie to fill the same role in a year that the Rams are trying to make a Super Bowl push.

Atwell might not have been the most exciting signing, but there’s no denying that when he’s gotten opportunities, he’s found success in the offense. Over the past two seasons, Atwell has played in 50 percent or more of the team’s offensive snaps in 14 games. In those games, he has 52 catches for 669 yards. Last year, he ranked 12th in success per route and 17th in yards per route.

When Atwell has gotten chances, he’s produced. Last season, without Kupp or Nacua in the lineup, the former second-round pick had 33.1 percent of the Rams’ total receiving yards which was the fifth-most in the NFL and was the first-read on 32.6 percent of the team’s targets which was 12th. He was clearly the number one wide receiver in the offense

In 2023, the offense ran through Nacua when Kupp was out of the lineup. Still, during those first four weeks, Atwell ranked 19th in receptions while ranking 18th in yards per reception and 16th in total yards. At the very least, when Atwell has been in the lineup in place of Kupp, he has been a WR2.

With Kupp now out of the picture, it opens up a place for Atwell in the offense and he was signed this past offseason to be the third wide receiver alongside Nacua and Adams. Even if the Rams run more 12 personnel, that number may go from 14 percent up to 20 or 25 percent. That still leaves the Rams in 11 personnel at a 75 percent rate at minimum. It’s not something that the Rams are going to completely abandon.

Throughout his career, Kupp has primarily been a slot receiver. Last season, he took 66.7 percent of his snaps from the slot which was the 13th most in the NFL. The Rams tend to move Atwell around more and be more versatile as he averaged 40 percent of snaps from the slot. However, Atwell’s 40 percent rate from the slot led Rams wide receivers during that period with Demarcus Robinson behind him at 37.1 percent and Jordan Whittington at 31.9 percent.

This is where Atwell did some of his best work. In Weeks 3-7, Atwell ranked fourth in yards per route from the slot and 13th in yards per reception. While Adams also excels from the slot, he has typically lined up there near a 30 percent clip. Last season was his career-high at 46.4 percent.

NextGen Stats

If Adams is taking the ‘X’ receiver role in the offense, Demarcus Robinson lined up in the slot at a 36.6 percent rate in 2024 and on 23.6 percent of the team’s offensive snaps in 2023. That’s still much lower than Kupp’s 66.7 percent which should open up opportunities for Atwell in the slot.

This isn’t to say that Atwell will primarily be playing in the Kupp role. However, without Kupp in the lineup, there are more opportunities to play Atwell from positions in which he’s had success. As seen in the route charts and in the film clips above, Kupp and Atwell have lined up and been able to win in similar areas of the field.

NextGen Stats

When it comes to their top wide receivers, the Rams have a defined route philosophy. It’s a reason why each receiver understanding all three wide receiver positions is so important. This allows McVay to interchange the wide receivers into different alignments with that player being able to execute the route concept.

Over the past two seasons when Kupp has been hurt and not been on the field, Atwell has occasionally slotted into that position. From Weeks 3-7 last year and the first four weeks of 2024, Atwell and Kupp have had similar route structures.

That’s especially the case in 2023 when both players ran a similar percentage of hitch, out, and dig routes. In 2023, Kupp ran a hitch on 19 percent of his routes and an out at a 12.8 percent rate. Atwell was almost identical without Kupp in the lineup at 19.9 percent and 12.4 percent. The usage at times has been very similar.

At the end of the day, the Rams offense is going to look different in 2025 without Kupp. Kupp has been a staple in the offense throughout the McVay era and now he’s out of the picture. Atwell isn’t going to replace Kupp or completely fill his role. In fact, it may be done with several players as both Adams and Atwell can alternate from the slot and outside.

When Atwell has been a featured player in the offense, he has proven that he can handle that responsibility in stretches. This isn’t someone that the Rams paid $10 million to be a decoy or gadget player. Atwell has always been a more complete receiver than pigeonholed into a hyper-specific role. In an offense built on precision and adaptability, having Atwell back in the picture in 2025 should help the Rams in a post-Kupp world.