6 surprise omissions from LA Rams first depth chart

Atwell

When the LA Rams drafted wide receiver, Tutu Atwell, there was a lot of positive press that cited the young man’s blazing speed, his versatility to contribute both on offense and on special teams, and his ability to stretch a defense.  Okay, typical rookie optimism. Standard stuff.

Los Angeles Rams

We just covered our review of his opportunities to make the Rams roster and believed that he is a riser on the team’s final depth chart. Well, believe is the keyword, because he shows up on the Rams depth chart buried behind DeSean Jackson and J.J. Koski. CORRECTION:  The Rams revised the depth chart, and he is now playing behind DeSean Jackson or Van Jefferson. On that same depth chart, he never showed up with a special team’s role. Yikes!

When the LA Rams called out his name during the 2021 NFL Draft, there were concerns over his weight. Of course, it really didn’t help the matter with no consensus over his official weight.  He confirmed that he is 155 pounds, and struggling to add weight due to his body’s metabolism. While 155 pounds may be an ideal weight for a player who stands 5-foot-9,  it’s anything but ideal for a wide receiver who hopes to play in 17 regular-season games, both as a wide receiver and as a punt return specialist.

He was quarantined due to a positive COVID-19 test and missed two weeks of training camp at a critical time in a rookie’s first season. As he was learning plays and roles, other players were being assessed and evaluated on how well they knew their plays and roles. Playing catchup really doesn’t help a young man who is also burdened by trying to add weight. Of course, if you read the comment section or even some of our earlier articles, none of this should come as any surprise.

I suppose the surprise is that the Rams have buried Atwell in the depth chart, in spite of the fact that many expected them to do so.