LA Rams place rookie WR Tutu Atwell on Reserve/COVID-19 list

Well, well, just one hour ago, we were talking about LA Rams rookie wide receiver Tutu Atwell‘s challenges in his first LA Rams training camp just one hour ago. Not only will the speed-demon receiver Atwell be trying to make the team’s roster, but he is now also trying to pack on the poundage while doing so. Well, as the old Morton Salt commercials used to say “When it rains, it pours“.

But both of those seem a bit less urgent than the latest news. As is the NFL protocol now, arriving players are given a COVID-19 test to ensure a coronavirus-free environment. Well, that test, or the test of someone he has been in close proximity of, has turned up positive for rookie wide receiver Tutu Atwell.

If you do not recall, either a positive test or proximity to someone who had tested positive requires any NFL player to fall into the COVID-19 protocol. Those protocols were revised in late June 2021 due to the availability of the vaccine.

And so, the eagerly anticipated debut of Tutu Atwell will be placed on hold for the time being. That is not good news for the rookie who hoped to earn a contributing role on both the team’s offense as well as on special teams.

Of course, training camp is here, and the show must go on. Atwell’s absence, combined with the recent release of KR/PR Nsimba Webster, most certainly will ensure that both Raymond Calais and Otis Anderson Jr. will have a sizeable share of the return responsibilities in the early going of camp.

Should either player gain an advantage, it will be difficult for Atwell to unseat them in the return game. The LA Rams, like all 32 NFL teams, go with who they’ve got, and the first days of training camp are crucial in setting the pecking order, a.k.a. depth chart, for the team’s players.

As for Atwell’s return, that will depend upon his vaccination status. But for a quick and dirty summary, he will need to be asymptomatic and conduct two negative tests over a 24 hour period. For additional details, you can refer to the NFL-NFLPA COVID-19 Protocol memo. Good luck.

Time to grab your rabbit’s foot or toss a coin into the wishing well, folks. Training camp has not started and the Rams have lost RB Cam Akers, and the team’s top draft pick has been assigned to the COVID-19/reserve roster. Better buckle up.