Rams may already be regretting one offseason move as OTAs kick off

The Los Angeles Rams have vowed to get veteran WR Tutu Atwell more involved in the offense. That is not solely based on HC Sean McVay's public statements to that effect, but also the fact that the team put its money where its mouth is. That's right, the team is paying Atwell $10 million to play in 2025. That's whether he takes the football field or sits on the bench.

The thing is, unless the Rams find the resolve to be committed to playing Atwell in a far larger role than he ever had in the past, this could be a huge uh-oh once more. You see, the Rams had invested heavily in Tutu Atwell before. The team used the most valuable pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the 57th overall pick in Round 2, on Atwell.

While he is not a bust by any means, he has yet to warrant such an early selection. But don't rush to blame him. He gets open. He catches passes. He has even shown solid improvement over time on the Rams roster. But he just hadn't gotten enough targets to make a significant difference.

Will that all change? The Rams have 10 million reasons to ensure that it does. That is likely one of the topics that you can expect to be raised at post-OTA press conferences in the days ahead.

The thing is: Can this team finally follow through with commitments to get Atwell more involved in the offense? Without the need to compete with Cooper Kupp, Demarcus Robinson, and Tyler Johnson, it should come easily, right? Well, I'm not convinced it will be smooth sailing.

Veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford will have plenty of options to throw to this year. They are:

• Puka Nacua
• Davante Adams
• Jordan Whittington
• Tutu Atwell
• Konata Mumpfield
• Xavier Smith
• Drake Stoops
• Britain Covey
• Quintez Cephus
• Tru Edwards
• Brennan Presley
• Mario Williams

Of course, not every receiver will make the roster. The team will almost certainly go with six receivers this season, and that may include a special-teams specialist like Britain Covey or Xavier Smith. But even with a shrinking number of players, is Atwell truly going to be targeted enough to warrant a $10 million contract for one season?

It may be that the team wanted to lock Atwell in for 2025. But with the arrival of versatile rookie Konata Mumpfield, Atwell's projected workload may already be waning. There is also the risk of the team favoring the physicality of Jordan Whittington as a more dependable receiver to start as WR3.

Could the team have re-signed Atwell to a less expensive deal? Perhaps. It seems that the Rams put a huge sack of cash out there to ensure extending Atwell in the face of roster uncertainty after losing three other significant contributors from the receiver role in 2024. But with the arrival of elite wide receiver Davante Adams and the presence of young-and-coming star Puka Nacua, Stafford's attention will be nearly impossible to veer elsewhere.

Atwell has struggled to get targets in the past. With the Rams' new lineup of receivers, I don't see that he will find targets any easier to come by in 2025.

Whether a Round 2 pick or $10 million for one year, the Rams seem to view greater potential in Tutu Atwell than the football season realizes. OTAs will begin to tell the tale. But from this vantage point, Stafford is almost certainly focusing on connecting with new teammate Davante Adams.

And who can blame him?

As always, thanks for reading.

Here are other Rams roster articles you may enjoy