Rams WR Tutu Atwell's lucrative contract likely due to this veteran WR's opinion

Not all Los Angeles Rams fans are pleased with the team's extension of WR Tutu Atwell. Some fear that the extension of Atwell is simply more of the same light workload for a young swift receiver because Atwell does not fit much of the Rams offensive playbook in any given game. Others point to the lucrative $10 million for one year's worth of work and simply do not see that level of production from the young receiver.

Still others see the potential of Atwell, know the potential in the Rams offense, and have simply surrendered to the fact that if the coaches were committed to optimizing Tutu Atwell's talents in this offense, it would have happened after four seasons. The same offense unlocked the promise of rookie Puka Nacua in one season.

So why did the team decide to part ways with Cooper Kupp, Demarcus Robinson, and Tyler Johnson, but in the same breath choose to extend Tutu Atwell? Ah, there's the rub.

Rams extended Atwell for the unknown of 2025

Let's step back a moment, and understand what personnel moves have been made to shape the Rams roster so far, at least in terms of the wide receiver room. Yes, Tutu Atwell is back. Veteran free agent wide receiver Davante Adams join him. The Rams parted ways with Cooper Kupp, Demarcus Robinson, and Tyler Johnson. But Atwell (as well as his understudy, Xavier Smith) is a fast WR who tests the back end of secondaries. Adams is a matchup nightmare, a head-bobbing double-move wide receiver who has mastered creating separation from defensive backs without the benefit of motion or bunching.

And the Rams have Puka Nacua and Jordan Whittington to handle nearly everything that Kupp, Robinson, and Johnson added to this offense.

When living in Alaska and traveling to the Arctic Circle, you didn't pack what you wanted. You packed for what you might need in case of emergency. That is, you packed water, food, an emergency roadside repair kit, a well-stocked toolbox, a first aid kit, food, emergency camping gear, and yes, even bear spray. Hopefully, you would never need any of it during the long drive to and from your exotic destination. But if you did need it? It's always far better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.

I suspect the Rams front office views extending Tutu Atwell much in the same way for this season.

How do we know that the Rams cannot replace Atwell's role in the 2025 NFL Draft. Ah, that is where NFL's venerable WR Steve Smith Sr. weighs in:

Work-ethic legend Steve Smith is not impressed by 2025 WR prospects

It's not controversial to state that the 2024 NFL Draft class was epically rich with talented rookie prospects at the wide receiver position. Like a gold rush, NFL teams were so struck by the feeding frenzy of wide receivers, quarterbacks, and offensive tackles in the 2024 draft that a Top-10 projected edge rusher, OLB Jared Verse, fell all the way to the Rams in Round 1 and the 19th overall pick. Just to refresh your memory, Verse was the 2024 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.

In Round 1 of the 2024 NFL Draft, 32 NFL teams selected:

• 6 quarterbacks
• 7 wide receivers
• 1 tight end
• 7 offensive tackles
• 4 edge rushers
• 3 cornerbacks
• 2 interior offensive linemen
• 2 defensive linemen

Perhaps even more astonishing in the draft is the fact that NFL teams selected the first defensive player with the 15th overall pick. The first 14 rookies selected in the 2024 NFL Draft were on the offensive side of the football. That was no accident. And if you listen to now-retired NFL wide receiver Steve Smith, even wide receiver who did not hear their names called out in the 2024 NFL Draft would be better than some Day 2 prospects in the draft this year:

The Rams drafted Texas WR Jordan Whittington in Round 6 of the 2024 NFL Draft, and then signed WRs Sam Wiglusz, Drake Stoops, and JJ Laap after the draft. Of the rookie class of 2024, the Rams still have both Whittington and Stoops on the roster.

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Now a clearer image is forming

If Steve Smith's assertions are correct, and the likes of Sam Wiglusz and JJ Laap are the equivalent of Day 3 selections at the wide receiver position from this draft class, then this year's draft class is slim pickens indeed. Of course, the Rams front office has mastered the concept of kicking over every rock to find diamonds in the rough. But there may be fewer rocks to kick at this year.

The Rams are not alone in rushing to sign free agent wide receivers before the 2025 NFL Draft. How else would all three Rams wide receivers have signed in the first wave of free agency with other teams? Why else would veteran WR Tutu Atwell command $10 million for a one-year contract? Perhaps, when viewing the bigger picture, the team may not automatically have a dedicated larger role in the offense for Atwell. Perhaps the team merely wanted to pay the premium price for added depth at a position for a player who has proven to have the ability to step up and start if needed in 2025?

The Rams have seven wide receivers on the roster right now. I expect to see no less than 10 wide receivers on the roster for training camp. Where and when will the Rams find the additional players? If Smith is correct, the team may simply sign priority collegiate free agents after the 2025 NFL Draft. The team will likely carry six wide receivers on the 53-man Rams roster, and the team likely has the right players to fill those slots on the roster already.

But the team was pleasantly surprised by Puka Nacua and Jordan Whittington in the past two consecutive drafts. So be prepared to be impressed by a young wide receiver once more.

As always, thanks for reading.

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