4 LA Rams offensive players who step out of the shadows in 2023

Fairly dangerous offensive weapons

For the longest time, we were led to believe that wide receiver Tutu Atwell simply was not the right fit for the LA Rams offense. Whether he was too small to block, too limited in his offensive utility, or that he simply did not know the Rams offensive playbook well enough to earn offensive snaps, fans grew increasingly frustrated and disenchanted with the young fleet-footed receiver.

I'm not going to waste anyone's time trying to portray Atwell as a 1000 yard receiver in the LA Rams offense. After all, he has been targeted just 35 times in two seasons with the team, and all of those targets occured in 2022. The harsh truth of the matter is that Atwell did not see much action in the LA Rams offense until after the team had benched starting quarterback Matthew Stafford, so there is practically no chemistry to speak of between Stafford and Atwell yet.

But that doesn't mean that there cannot be.

The Rams proved their ability to quick strike by combining the stretch the field abilities of veteran WR Desean Jackson with young wide receiver Van Jefferson. Their ability to score from anywhere on the football field forced defenses to respect the deep pass, and opened up the entire LA Rams playbook. Tutu Atwell can fill that role for the Rams in 2023, having already proven that ability with a 62 yard touchdown reception against the New Orleans Saints on November 20, 2022. The Rams simply need to give him the opportunity to do so in 2023.

Big bang for the buck

The rookie season of running back Kyren Williams pretty much sums up the Rams' season. It was, and is, a prime example of everything that went wrong for the LA Rams in 2022. He was projected to be a dangerous offensive weapon out of the 2022 NFL Draft, a player who could attack defenses in so many ways. He won the hearts of fans and the respect of the Rams coaches.

Standing 5-foot-9 and weighing in at 195 pounds, Williams felt like a natural successor to veteran running back Darrell Henderson Jr. Henderson was a talented offensive weapon, but was unable to stay healthy enough to settle in and become a dependable contributor for the offense. Unfortunately, Williams rookie season picked up exactly where Henderson's career left off, banged up with limited carries.

But Williams is still a dangerous running back, and almost everyone was getting the stuffing knocked out of them in 2022. Williams must have a strong 2023 NFL season and I think that he will. While you cannot look past the fact that the Rams have significant competition in the backfield this season with the addition of drafted running back Zach Evans out of Ole Miss and Tiyon Evans out of Louisville, Evan with the competition, I look for Kyren Williams to slide into a Darrell Henderson type of role this season, which is great for the LA Rams, and bad news for their opponents.