What's the status of the Rams 10 million dollar man: Full Week 13 injury update

The Los Angeles Rams have been a combination of potent offense and suffocating defense of late. And with the emergence of UFL kicker Harrison Mevis, the team appears to be tuning up for a deep run in the upcoming NFL playoffs. Still, not everything is fully green, yet. Speedy wide receiver Tutu Atwell, designated to return this week, didn't.

It's a bit surprising, as the Rams seemed to be further along with Atwell than with cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon. But it is what it is, and Witherspoon was activated. Atwell was not.

The team will circle the wagons once more, running most of its aerial assault through veteran wide receivers Puka Nacua and Davante Adams. If the opportunity presents itself, the ground attack will be led by running back Kyren Williams and, perhaps, backup running back Blake Corum.

But the fast deep-ball specialist Atwell will not be on the football field to face the Carolina Panthers in Week 13 unless something changes drastically before game time. And so, that one-year $10 million contract signed signed to bring Tutu Atwell back for 2025 does not seem to be holding up very well.

Tutu Atwell may yet be a key contributor during the playoff push

The team has thrown to Tutu Atwell just nine times this season, and he has hauled in just four passes for 164 yards and one touchdown. While his volume is incredibly light, his production from those handful of catches has been phenomenal.

The problem is that his light workload is something that won't improve this week.

But when Atwell returns, he will bring a huge deep threat to an offense that lacks that very thing. And with an added week to acclimate himself to the offense before being pushed to produce against NFL secondaries, it won't take long before he adds himself back to the growing list of dangerous offensive weapons in the Rams offense.

Unfortunately, Los Angeles is facing unexpected injuries on defense right now as well. Nose tackle Poona Ford (calf) leads a list of questionable players that includes safety Kam Kinchens (shoulder), outside linebacker Byron Young (knee), and offensive tackle David Quessenberry (groin).

Head coach Sean McVay asserted that Young would play against the Panthers, but the status of other players remains up in the air.

It's a difficult set of decisions facing LA today. The team wants to play everyone who can suit up. On the other hand, there is an increasing risk of further injury by playing a dinged-up contributor. And so, fans must await kickoff to know who is truly competing today.

As always, thanks for reading.